Warframe: Consequences
by Kalenath Shok-Tan
Summary: Every action has a reaction. Every choice has consequences. Some are bad. Some are not. This is a direct follow on to 'Innocents' and will clear up a bit. This is a fanfiction. I own none of the rights to Warframe.
1. Chapter 1

**Effects**

Jesse knelt in seiza beside her mother and sighed. Iriana had gone to bed an hour before. Jesse's body did not need the same amount of rest that it had required for much of her life, but that was understandable. She wasn't the same now.

She had been born to the name Jesselle to two loving parents. Janet who slept beside her and Zacharias who she might never see again. That hurt. It really did. But her mom had needed her. The injury her mom had inadvertently inflicted on herself had required drastic measures to correct. Jesse's rump still ached where spinal tissue had been removed from the very end of her spine, the vestigial tail that humans and Tenno shared. It wasn't pain so much as an ache now. It wasn't debilitating and...

"Ma'am?"

The soft voice from the side had Jesse jerking a bit. She had dozed! She stared at her mom, but Janet slept on in her gel filled pool. From the burn dressings that Jesse could see, she was _glad_ her mom slept. She would need rest to heal the horrendous amount of damage she had suffered. Frankly, Jesse was amazed her mom was alive. Then she looked at the speaker. The...girl nodded to her. She wasn't more than fourteen. Maybe less. She wore a white robe just like the one Jesse wore.

"Tenno Jesse?" The girl said in a timid voice "I am Natalie E-12."

"One of mom's attendants." Jesse kept her tone noncommittal.

"Yes." The young woman said softly. She looked... scared. "You need sleep." Jesse just looked at her and the girl frowned. "You are falling asleep where you sit."

"I am not leaving her alone." Jesse's tone brooked no argument. "Not after all of this."

"I... I understand." Natalie said as she moved a bit closer. "Can I... sit with you? She is nice to me." Jesse shrugged and the girl plopped down right where she was.

"That doesn't look comfortable." Jesse said with a scowl.

"The floor is heated. I sit here a lot with her." Natalie E-12 said with a sigh. "It has been... rough. Confusing."

"I know the feeling." Jesse said gently.

"I mean...I like Caroline and the others. They are nice. But..." Natalie E-12 bit her lip. Then she was crying. "This doesn't make any _sense_ to me!" She and Jesse both stilled as Janet spoke.

"Natalie... not your fault." Jesse turned but her mom's eyes were closed. The readouts showed she was barely conscious and falling asleep again. "Jesse... They... didn't know..." She sighed and fell asleep again.

"I..." Natalie E-12 stammered, but Jesse sighed and held out a hand to her.

"Come here." Jesse said with a grunt as she sat properly instead of kneeling. Natalie E-12 sidled to her and gave a squeak as Jesse pulled her into the Tenno's lap. Then the girl was crying again and Jesse was stroking her hair. The pain in her rump was increasing, but Jesse paid it no mind. After several minutes, Natalie E-12 stopped crying.

"I am scared." Natalie E-12 said in a monotone where she lay in Jesse's arms. "I thought these people were different. They were nice. Then I wake up and they... they hurt you. They did _horrid_ things to you. They hurt you and..."

"They did not hurt me." Jesse stroked the girl's arm gently. Nothing erotic, just calming the waif. "Just the... latest thing hurts. Nothing else."

"But they got you _killed!_" Natalie E-12 protested.

"Yeah. But I got better." Jesse said with just the right hint of dry humor to have the girl smile. "Not your fault, or any of the others." Then she gave a half hearted groan. "And I can go without sleep for a while. I need to talk to some people and I am putting it off."

"They are angry." Natalie E-12 said as she snuggled closer to Jesse.

"Putting it _very_ mildly." Jesse shook her head. "I guess... I better. You have shift now?"

"Yes. I am training to be a med tech." Natalie E-12 said with a grimace. "Lots of math. I am no good at math."

"Only way is to practice." Jesse said as she shifted a bit. "I can do what I have to here. If you need me, call my name."

"That meditation stuff is cool." Natalie E-12 said as she moved off of Jesse's lap to sit by the pool.

"Most of the time." Jesse agreed, then she was focusing her mind.

* * *

**A virtual world**

"They did _what?_" The voice that Jesse heard as she appeared in the virtual world was not one she knew. Female. Old. Powerful. Used to being obeyed.

"They saved Janet's life." Nikis was there and sounded...worried. A first for Jesse. "Here she is."

Jesse opened her eyes and was not surprised to find the virtual environment packed. Some of the people she knew. Others... not. Trinity and Raven both moved to her and she smiled as she rose and hugged them both.

"I am all right." Jesse said firmly as Raven scrutinized her closely. She could feel Olim's scrutiny from across the room. "I am all right." She repeated.

"You disappeared." Trinity said with a snarl that was very unlike the kindly ancient Tenno that Jesse knew. "Right out of the dojo."

"I didn't even know I was _in_ a dojo." Jesse commented. "Trinity... the Balance..." She pleaded.

"It is set." Trinity kept up her scrutiny, careful tendrils of code sweeping over Jesse. Jesse let her scan. Jesse stared at her and Trinity scoffed. "You came in _before_. That upset the Balance. Us looking for you set it _back_." Jesse covered her face with a hand and Trinity made a commiserating noise. "Not _your_ fault, girl."

"Grand Master Nikis?" Jesse asked, confused. "I... I thought I heard you say..."

"I was angry." Nikis said with a grunt. "No surprise there. They didn't tell me what they were planning. Would have stopped them. Don't worry about the Balance. No one is upset about that. _This_ time anyway." He said sourly.

"And mom?" Jesse asked him as she released Trinity and Raven, who took a step back.

"Jesse... your mom won't ever forget what they did." Nikis might have been discussing the weather for all the emotion he showed. "Forgive? Maybe. Eventually. When she has had time to cool off. Forget? _Never_. They hurt you. They pushed you into something that got you _killed_." He wagged a finger at her when she opened her mouth. "If not for their meddling, you wouldn't have gone the way you did. They hurt you. End of story." Jesse bowed her head in acknowledgement.

"And you won't tell us where she is." Olim's voice was neutral. Painfully so.

"I gave my word." Nikis said flatly. The others looked at Jesse and she slumped a bit. "You _didn't_, girl." He said mildly.

"But if I break _your_ word..." Jesse started weakly only to pause as Nikis laughed. "What?"

"Girl... I gave _my_ word." Nikis said with snort. "No one said _anything_ to _you_ about keeping their secrets." She looked at him and he sighed, humor fleeing. "The only one who can answer the questions everyone has is you, Tenno Jesse. If you will."

"I..." Jesse swallowed hard. "I don't know... I... They seemed to mean well. Mom is better."

"Your mom is madder than _hell_." Nikis said with a sigh. "With reason. I am gone." Jesse opened her mouth to protest and he shook his head, reaching out to take her hand and squeeze it gently. "You are a good kid. You will do what is right." With that, he vanished.

"Jesse?" Raven asked when no one else spoke. "What happened?"

"I... tried to contact my mom telepathically." Jesse said into the silence, more than bit unnerved by all of this. "The contact was shifted somehow. I do not know how. But I do know who did it. Mom's... colleagues."

"In the name of the First Empress..." This was the strange woman. "_Why?_" She demanded. "Why would the _Oracles_ of all people force you into a path that would get you _killed_?"

"I don't know." Jesse wasn't afraid, per say. She was worried. All this scrutiny was alien to her. But no one was hostile to _her_. "They... they said they didn't know all of what would happen. What did happen. But they say that they needed my help."

"Not a chance in hell." The woman snapped. "Not a _chance_ after this. Where are you? I will have a portal set up."

"Empress..." Raven said softly and Jesse froze in place. "Tenno Jesse, meet Empress Eliza. Ruler of the remnants of Orokin."

"Oh..." Jesse swallowed hard and shook herself. "I... Um..." Eliza just sighed.

"Not that it is much." Eliza looked like she had eaten a lemon. "But we do take care of our own. And you _are_ one of our allies. Where _are_ you?" She repeated.

"I don't know." Jesse admitted. "Underwater somewhere."

"_Underwater?_" The word chorused around the room, but Olim was nodding.

"That makes sense." The elder Cyberlancer said with a final nod. "I tried to trace you when you vanished and got a garbled return. Water messes up our code."

"That leaves a _lot_ of places to search." Jesse flinched as a huge white form appeared nearby. "I ask apology, Tenno Jesse." The Rhino was familiar. He had shot her while she was a 'guest' of the Grineer queens.

"You did what was needed." Jesse replied quickly. "And you didn't aim for my head. So... it is all good."

"It is not good until you are home." The Rhino replied. "But thank you for not hating me."

"I do not know enough to be sure of my feelings." Jesse admitted. "I am upset."

"You have cause." Raven said with a snarl. Jesse nodded.

"I am also... confused and distressed." Jesse admitted. All of the others waited for her to continue and she did. "Mom was hurt. She is better now. They needed a tissue sample to replace part of her spine that was damaged beyond repair. They took it from me." Trinity hissed and Jesse nodded. "I have no impairment, just some residual soreness."

"I hope you do not mind if I take a closer look." Trinity's tone brooked no argument and Jesse shook her head. The shade stepped close, her hands flaring with power as she ran them over Jesse's body.

"Distressed?" Eliza asked after a moment.

"They say they need my help." Jesse was certain she sounded unsure. She sure felt that way. "But... frankly, I do not trust them."

"If you _trusted_ them after all of this, I would recommend you be sent for _psychiatric review_." Eliza said sounded like she looked. Not very happy at all. Jesse had to smile at the Empress' tone and she nodded. "So what do they want?"

"I do not know." Jesse said with a sigh as Trinity finished her scans and stepped back. "Trinity?"

"It is clean and healing well." Trinity sounded about like the Empress _looked_. "A centimeter of spinal column was taken from the tip of your coccygeal vertebrae. The surgery was well done." She admitted with an air of forcing the compliment out. "Good thing you don't need that tail."

"Yeah." Jesse said with a sigh. "The thing is... I saw aquatic adapted humans." Eliza froze at that and most of the Tenno did likewise. Trinity just sighed. "Young ones."

"Oh... boy..." Trinity said slowly. "How... young?" She asked.

"I couldn't tell." Jesse admitted. "I was inside a pressurized environment and they were outside. A group. I was told the eldest was sixteen and the youngest less than a year but I do not know if I can believe that."

"And Iriana?" Eliza asked, her tone at odds with her eyes which were intent.

"She was tending mom after the surgery." Jesse said with a nod. "I am going to ask if she can be sent back."

"She won't leave without you." Olim stated with an air of reluctance. "Not a chance. Especially if someone took tissue from you without your leave. That kind of thing... gets her upset." Everyone nodded and the visible faces looked worried. The Healer was not easy to irritate, but when it happened... sane people _ran_.

"That isn't the worst." Jesse replied and all eyes were on her again. "I saw a chair set up in one room. It was... remarkably like one that was described to me by a shade named Mari." At that, _everyone_ froze.

"Oh shit..." Eliza said for everyone. "If they are making a hybrid... an AI hybrid..."

"We need to find out _why_." Jesse agreed. "Until mom wakes, or they send me away... I am going to stay with her. I hope to continue my training virtually."

"Oh trust me." Trinity said with a snort. "You won't get out of training that easily."

"Good." Jesse said with a nod. "I think I am going to need to know everything I can learn. Soon."

"Bet on it."

* * *

**Somewhere**

"You wanted to see me, Nikis?" The Vauban warframe was not tense, per say. He was wary. Then again... when the _Grandmaster of the Dead_ asked for someone to meet in private... it was rarely for a pleasant chat.

The dojo hummed with activity now. The Tenno had been mobilizing. As soon as Iriana and Jesse had vanished, all kinds of people had been summoned and readied. Jasmina had actually shown up. Wary and prickly, but she had answered the call.

"Yeah." Nikis sounded disagreeable. Then again, he pretty much defined that most of the time. "I need information that I think you have."

"Me?" Ric asked, concerned. "Nikis... you must have me confused with someone _else_. Some days I do not even remember my own _name_."

"You are better." Nikis shrugged. "Cecelia helps a lot."

"Yeah." Ric said with a grin that showed through his closed faceplate. "She is a bit stubborn. What do you need?"

"Ser Draco." Ric froze at the Nekros word. "And yes. I know who he is and what he did."

"Nikis..." Ric said slowly. "I... can't..." He went still as the Nekros held out a hand and something glittered in it. "I... That..." Ric stared at the ring in the Nekros' hand and then slowly nodded. "I see. But Nikis... he is sleeping. I don't want to wake him."

"You won't." Nikis said with a sigh. "_I_ will."

"All right, I am just going to _say_ it..." The Vauban was not scared. He was halfway to angry. "Are you _out_ of your bleeding _mind_? He sleeps for a _reason_, Nikis! You _know_ what he is."

"Yeah I do." Nikis's calm acceptance took the wind out of Ric's sails. "A force of nature at the best of times. But a directed one."

"Nikis..." Ric said slowly. "You are asking me to break an oath. I swore I would _never_ let him wake again. He _begged_ me, Nikis. He begged me on his _knees!_"

"I know Ric." Nikis retorted evenly. "I saw it."

"You..." Ric froze, staring at the ring and then at Nikis. "You _are_..." He breathed.

"Be silent." Nikis said sternly and Ric nodded, his motion jerky. The hand closed up on the ring. "Jesse is in trouble. I don't know what kind. The only person who _does_ is unconscious and may not wake up fully for weeks. Tell me _anyone_ else who could protect her from her enemies _and_ from herself. _Anyone_."

"He is gonna be _pissed_." Ric said with a deeper sigh.

"He has a right to it." Nikis said with a grunt. "I said it then and I say it now. What he did was the right thing. What he did showed every facet of the Code of Chivalry. He was... the perfect knight. They screwed him because he refused to play their way. To _hell_ with them. Jesse needs him."

"Yes." Ric bowed his head. "He was. I... better come with you." He shook his head.

"Ric." Nikis was not happy about that idea.

"I cannot _tell_ you where it is or give coordinates." Ric said with a sigh. "But I _can_ show you. _That_ wasn't covered in the oath."

"If he blames anyone, he will blame _me_." Nikis said softly. "_I_ was responsible."

"Bull!" Ric nearly exploded. "_They_ knew what he would do. _They_ primed him. _They_ pumped him up. _They_ set him off and watched what happened, smiling. What happened after was on their heads."

"He hurt them." Nikis agreed. "I would have done _worse_." He admitted. "But then... he surrendered... Damn Orokin."

"Yeah. Damn Orokin." Ric said sadly. "What do you need?"

"If we are going to do this, we need to do it right." Nikis said, thinking hard. "He won't accept anything but a proper ceremony."

"I hate that armor..." Ric shook his head. "It never fits right.'

"How do you think _I_ feel?" Nikis snapped. "All this time and I was _finally_ used to the robe. Now I have to put the rest of it on."

"The Order stands with you." Ric said calmly. "Brianna will come if you wish. She has a set of Apothecary gear and attire ready."

"Janet... will take some convincing." Nikis said with a grunt. "Maybe... a virtual talk with you and Brianna there?"

"You want a guard of honor?" Ric asked, his tone thoughtful. "I mean... you can get any of the shades..."

"This is personal." Nikis said with a sigh. "Not professional."

"You think _any_ of them will _care_?" Ric demanded. "A chance to right an ancient wrong and welcome a brother back into the fold. You know as well as I do that the 'Balance' is a _myth_."

"Yeah, but we _really_ do not want the Orokin to get the idea that they can mosey out of the database any time they _want_." Nikis growled and Ric shuddered in agreement. "They are enough of a pain as it _is_."

"Okay, point taken." Ric nodded. "When?"

"Let me talk to Janet, then we can go. If she attends, it will have to be virtual." Nikis said with a nod. "Brianna?"

"I will talk to her and let you know. I think her schedule is clear for a bit. Might need to be virtual for her too." Ric chuckled suddenly.

"What?" Nikis demanded.

"Cecelia asked me about the Society." Ric said with a laugh. "She researched it and found it fascinating." Nikis groaned and Ric laughed again. "She would come."

"Do I want to _know_?" Nikis sounded resigned.

"A Lady in Waiting for the Queen." Ric said with a shrug. "She isn't combat personnel." Nikis glared at him and Ric shrugged. "Nikis... We would not make Janet anything _less_. You have the ring."

Nikis stared down at his clenched hand then groaned louder.

"If I had possessed a _clue_ what was involved, I would have told each and every _one_ of you what you could _do_ with your _royalty_. _Shove_ it." The Nekros opened his hand and sighed deeper.

The ring... showed an ornate crown marked with the letters 'S', 'C' and 'A'.


	2. Chapter 2

**Of a sort...**

Janet was not awake. Not really. She knew this. She had been floating on this sea of bliss for some time. It felt good, not to worry, not to fear. Not to be...

Something tugged her gently and she smiled as she recognized the feeling. She let the tug pull her and then she was standing in a virtual world. Nikis stood in front of her, his virtual avatar a human in a long robe. His face was worried, but it cleared when he saw her.

"Janet?" Nikis sounded relieved to see her.

"I am here, Nikis. Mostly." Janet said with a sigh. She reached out to hug him and he pulled her close. "I am not fully aware, but mostly. I... Oh Nikis... Jesse..." She felt her eyes burn and Nikis hugged her gently.

"I know, honey." Nikis held her as she cried. "I know."

"They can't see it, Nikis." Janet was not quite blubbering, but it was close. "_I_ can barely see it. A great darkness pulling her in and swallowing her up as she screams... I... I can't..."

"It's all right, Janet." Nikis reassured her. "I do not know what is going on either. Do you know about the hybrid?"

"That... I warned them..." Janet shook her head, her face halfway between sad and angry. "On the surface, it isn't a bad idea. But _really_..." She grimaced. "They plan to set up a small scale network. Only for the ocean." Nikis stared at her and Janet shook her head again. "Yeah, it isn't long range. It won't be able to extend past the surface. They plan to use ultra low frequency sound instead of EM radiation for communication. They cannot replicate what the Lotus does."

"_Good_." Hate colored the male Tenno's voice for a moment and Janet shivered. She hugged him tighter. "Not your fault, Janet. I still hate her. Always will for what she ordered me to do. For what she condoned them doing to my son." He shook himself. "So... the apparatus?"

"They were looking for a volunteer among the people living nearby." Janet let Nikis hold her. "It was and is strictly volunteer. Mira offered, but she is an Oracle too. No one would let her. She was... a bit miffed." Nikis chuckled at that but just held her. "They won't be able to access anything beyond the ocean and they _do_ need better communication, Nikis. The Grineer and Corpus are getting interested in why their probes keep failing. Sooner or later they will send manned expeditions and those will be _far_ harder to disable or destroy."

"A little warning might have been nice." Nikis growled sardonically. "The first _anyone_ knew of this was when Jesse saw the chair and _freaked_. She thought they were going to put _her_ in it."

"Over my _dead_ body." Janet snapped. "I am still angry. That... They took out part of her _spine_, Nikis!" Janet sobbed as he held her.

"I know." Nikis reassured her. "Trinity and Iriana both concur that she took no lasting damage. But she won't leave you now."

"Stubborn girl." Janet slumped a bit. "What can we do, Nikis? I am... going to be out of it for a while. Dreaming or drugged, still out of it. They won't let me move for fear of damaging myself further. This is going to be the only way for me to communicate for a while."

"Jesse can reach you here, Janet." Nikis smiled a bit grimly. "And she can create these." Janet stilled and Nikis chuckled without humor. "Did your visions show what she is now?"

"Not clearly." Janet admitted. "You were right. If I focus on something personal to me, the visions get cloudy and fragmented."

"Well, of course I am right. I am _always_ right." Nikis said in a haughty tone that cut off with a gasp as she tickled him. "Hey! Evil woman!" He swatted at her hand.

"Well, duh." Janet said with a grin as she pressed her advantage. Who knew that the ancient curmudgeon gunfighter was so ticklish? She pressed close, but Nikis withdrew a bit. "Nikis?" She asked, confused.

"I would love to spend some time with you, Janet." Nikis said with a sad sigh. "And knowing you, it would be memorable." Janet pouted, but she was curious. "I have a line on someone who may be able to help you _and_ Jesse. A bodyguard. The best."

"Tell me it isn't a _male_ bodyguard." Janet complained. "With all the genetic tweaks... Jesse is _going_ to start... getting urges."

"It is." Nikis said and Janet groaned, but Nikis just smiled. "Janet, honey... He has done it before. Dealt with teenage girls. He is a knight." She looked at him and he smiled. "Yes, a real, honest to goodness _knight_. Sworn to the Code of Chivalry and all."

"You are not making me feel any better, Nikis..." Janet sounded more than a bit worried now. "The whole Arthur/Lancelot/Guinevere thing is _not_ certain to make a mother feel safe about knights and daughters."

"Let me put it this way then, Janet..." Nikis said softly. "He was asked, _begged_, by the girl's mother to take the job. He had reservations, but he did. She was fifteen and fairly good looking. He was Tenno." Janet stiffened and then nodded. "I am not going to say he wasn't attracted to her, because he _was_. But for him, his duty was everything. She... propositioned him a few times and he gently but firmly told her 'No'." He slumped a bit. "It... wasn't his fault it didn't end well."

"What happened?" Janet asked.

"He protected her." Nikis said with a sigh. "As he was commanded, he went with her everywhere. And I _do_ mean _everywhere_." Janet stared at him and he nodded. "He was a perfect gentleman in all ways. Some of her... female classmates got jealous. He ignored them."

"Oh dear..." Janet said slowly. "I think I see where this is going."

"Yeah." Nikis blew out a deep breath. "He was tasked to protect her. Some of the jealous classmates distracted him with a fake emergency just long enough for the nutcases who had threatened her life to snatch her." Janet's face was ashen now and he nodded. "They... wanted to send a message and they _did_. They sent her father the poor girl's eyes. Then her fingers." Janet had a hand over her mouth and Nikis nodded soberly. "Draco did _not_ react well. I could have told them that angering him was a _bad_ idea."

"What did he do?" Janet asked, worried.

"One of the girls was connected to the nutcases. Told them when he was distracted so they could make their move." Nikis said softly. "He didn't know _which_ one, so he took them _all_. He interrogated them _all_. He wasn't gentle about it. None of the girls died." He said quickly when Janet inhaled in shock. "A couple were in the hospital for a few months, but none _died_."

"Was he in time?" Janet asked. Nikis shook his head. "Oh no..."

"They killed her as soon as they snatched her." Nikis' tone held old anger, old sadness. "He went in after her, not knowing she was dead and he made a _hell_ of a mess. When the 'A Tenno on the Warpath' response unit was dispatched... I was with them since I knew him well. We found Draco surrounded by corpses, holding what was left of her body. He did his job. It wasn't _his_ fault he failed. No one blamed him. No one charged him with a _damn_ thing. No one would have _dared_."

"She was not recoverable?" Janet begged. Nikis shook his head again.

"I tried." Nikis said sadly. "We all did. But... she had taken too much damage too quickly. Her energies had dissipated before he even got to where they had hidden."

"Sad." Janet sounded confused more than sad though. "But how does that help Jesse? Or me?"

"Draco had always been...directed in his violence." Nikis said calmly. "He knew there were times for it and times _not_ for it." He shook his head. "He also... a bit of a nut about history. Specifically, medieval European history." He took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of the Society for Creative Anachronism?" Janet stared at him.

"Vaguely." Janet admitted. "They were involved in the mess with that huge guy in red armor."

"Sort of." Nikis sounded uncomfortable now. "That gaming chamber had been shut down long before the Collapse. There had been injuries. One near fatality. It was shut down. Supposed to have been dismantled entirely. Not sure how it survived." He shook his head. "Not that. The original Society. Historical based, not gaming."

"Nikis..." Janet was eyeing him now. She heard... anticipation in his voice. "How do _you_ know about them?"

"I was -am- a member." Nikis said with a grunt. "It was a lot of work, mind you. Lots of egos. Lots of..." He trailed off as Janet looked at him. "I... umm..."

"'Are'?" Janet queried carefully. "You _'are'_ a member?"

"It's not gone." Nikis said quickly. "Not totally. Just... mostly. Not many of us left and... most of us are Tenno." Janet just looked at him and he flushed. "All right, yes. I kept the idea alive. I liked the idea of history as it _should_ have been."

"'As it should have been...'?" Janet wasn't sure if horror or bewilderment was the proper response.

"Well..." Nikis just sighed. "I have lived through so much, seen so much. I had to find a way to stay sane. Orokin was...boring."

"Boring." Now Janet simply felt stunned. "_Seriously?_"

"Yeah." Nikis said with a sigh. "When you have done everything there is to do in a lifetime and you have an untold number of years left to go? You find other things to do. I tried origami. Filled up my quarters with paper in a decade or so. I was never really interested in history, but others I knew were. They got me interested. It... got out of control."

"Do I want to know?" Janet was only half joking, With Nikis? One never really knew.

"Well..." Nikis snorted in sour amusement. "I went to one of the SCA functions. They called it a 'Tourney'. There was all kinds of weird stuff going on. People dressed in period attire, acting as if they were really lords and barons and knights and such."

"Roleplaying?" Janet asked, curious.

"Bite your tongue, girl." Nikis said with a fake snap. "We were -are- _not_ role-players. We are living history."

"Ah..." Janet swallowed a smile as Nikis mock glared at her. "Whatever you say, Mr. Tenno Sir."

"Bad girl." Nikis did a very good fake repressive tone when he wanted. It sent a shiver of anticipation right through Janet. He shook his head. "Trying to distract me. I wish we had time."

"This is _virtual_, Nikis..." Janet half stated, half pleaded.

"Yeah, but we have other people coming and I have to explain and..." Nikis sighed deeply and shook his head. "Later on that."

"I _will_ hold you to that." Janet said as she arched herself suggestively in his arms and Nikis sighed deeper. "So... You are part of this... Society?"

"Yeah." Nikis frowned. "I was never planning to do any such. It sort of happened. The old rank and file passed away, or got bored and went onto other pursuits. I stayed. Eventually, I made a high rank." He looked pensive for a moment. "Kalina enjoyed it."

"Oh, Nikis." Janet hugged him. Remembering his wife's passing was never good for him. "So why tell me this now?"

"Draco was a member of the Society." Nikis' tone firmed a bit. "He went into cryo after his failure and demanded not to be woken. Ever." Janet stared at him and he nodded. "Actually, his wording was 'Not until the world ends'. It did."

"Why would he...?" Janet shook her head. "I mean.. it wasn't _his_ failure, was it?" She queried.

"Only _one_ of the girls was guilty." Nikis' tone was sick now. "He hurt them all. Seven of them. We...tried to get him to see that what he did -while not _right_\- was not the end of the world either. But he was always a stubborn cuss."

"So, he hurt innocents." Janet swallowed hard. "And then?"

"He demanded to be punished and the courts refused." Nikis said with a grunt. "He came to the Society and demanded to be stripped of his knighthood. _We_ refused. So he decided to disappear and he did."

"And you are sure he is still alive?" Janet asked, still confused. Nikis nodded. "So... why not just wake him?"

"That... might not be so easy." Nikis said with a grimace. "He was... very upset. Cryo-nesia may have removed his memory of what happened. It may not have. It's awfully tricky on occasion. If not? We need to be very careful how we wake him."

"Oh?" Janet asked, her eyes speculative.

"Yeah." Nikis said quietly. "He was one of the few Tenno that I can honestly say scared me." Janet went still and Nikis nodded. "He never hurt anyone he didn't want to and his word was his bond. If we can wake him up carefully, explain, get his assistance... it is all good."

"And if you _can't?_" Janet demanded.

"That is why we need _you_." Nikis sounded as if that made perfect sense. If all else fails? Appeal to his honor. He _was_ the Queen's champion after all."

"Queen?" Janet asked carefully and Nikis squirmed under her gaze. "You cannot be serious. Nikis..."

"I...um... forgot to mention something..." Nikis said with a sigh. "I am the highest rank the SCA had. Has. 'King of the Province of Sol West'."

"King?" Janet asked weakly.

"Yeah." Nikis looked abashed now. "And that makes _you_..."

"_What?_" Janet actually released him and stepped away. That... may not have been such a good time for three others to appear nearby. A man in ancient looking plate armor. A girl in a pretty green dress and a woman in a tunic that held a set of barbaric looking medical tools arrayed in a pouch at her side. "Nikis..." Janet warned.

"Well met, your Majesties." The man in armor bowed deeply.

"Nikis..." Janet felt faint. "_What_ is going on?"

"It is all right, Janet." The woman in the medical attire said calmly. "It is a role, yes? You did that as a spy, no?"

"Some." Janet said slowly as the girl stepped towards her, hands outstretched. "But what role?"

"Queen." Nikis said firmly and Janet felt her world suddenly start to turn in circles.

**Not much later at all**

"I cannot _believe_ I let you all talk me into wearing this." Janet said with a sigh as she waited in the virtual world. The two women with her gave her smiles and she snarled half heartedly. "This is _ridiculous!_"

She had to admit, the blue gown she wore looked good. The shoes looked uncomfortable, but were actually good on her feet. The ruffled collar thing looked silly, but was also not restrictive at all. That wasn't the problem. It was the _rest_ of it that really set Janet's hackles on edge. The long fur trimmer cape was heavy and hot. The oblong mace shaped thing that she carried was heavy. And the metal thing that Nikis had set on her head was seriously heavy. And gaudy. And...

"You look good, Your Majesty." Cecelia said quietly and Janet snarled at her. "You do." The girl wore a much less elaborate gown with no extra stuff. It was pretty, but far less extravagant.

"I..." Janet trailed off muttering and Brianna smiled at her.

"At least you do not have to talk in period yet." Brianna said with a shrug. "The 'Thees and 'Thous' will trip your tongue."

"I have done some _weird_ stuff in my life..." Janet said weakly. "But _this_... You are members of this... Society?"

"I am sworn to the Order of the Sword." Brianna said with a serene calm that Janet envied. "We practice a number of ancient traditions. Cecelia here though..." She smiled as the girl who wasn't one snorted.

"I am just crazy." Cecelia said with a grin. "And... here is our other." Janet turned and froze as Jesse appeared nearby. The Tenno who had been her daughter wore a thunderous expression.

"Whose idea was _this_?" Jesse demanded as she fingered the thin silk sleeve of her gown. The two cones of the hat with their long stream of silk whipped back and forth with her agitation. "I am _not_ a fricking Princess."

"At last you do not have to wear this heavy crown and this hot rug that they draped on _me_." Janet said with a grunt. Jesse starred at her and her mouth fell open. "Don't say it..." Janet pleaded.

"You... look good, Mom." Janet stilled. She hadn't expected her daughter to say that. "Regal."

"I feel like a complete ninny dressed like this." Janet said with a glower at Cecelia who was trying hard not to snicker. "Be glad I am not real royalty. I remember _some_ history. There were all kinds of things queens had done to people who irritated them."

"But thou art far more refined and civilized than any of those unsophisticated barbarians, my queen." Cecelia said with a perfectly straight face. Janet's glower turned dangerous and Cecelia bowed. "No offense, my queen."

"Can I say things like 'Off with her head'?" Janet asked Brianna who was trying very hard not to laugh.

"You _can_." Brianna strangled her laugh. "But the whole 'divine right of kings' thing went away pre-Orokin. People will just laugh."

"Gonna laugh at me anyway." Janet said with a sigh. But Jesse stepped close and laid a gloved hand on her arm.

"No they won't, Mom." Jesse said quietly. "You are one of the few people I know of who can pull that look off. You do not look ridiculous. You look dangerous."

"I _feel_ ridiculous." Janet was calmer now. She hated to admit it, but part of her was glad her daughter was reacting this way.

"You are not." Jesse said with a smile as she gave her mom a hug that Janet returned.

"All right." Janet stilled as Nikis appeared nearby. The Nekros warframe looked nothing like he usually did. A crown circled his own head. A fur trimmed cape hung around his skeletal shoulders and a mace hung in his own hand. "We ready?"

"What kind of a question is _that?_" Janet demanded. "I don't even know the language."

"Don't worry about the language, Janet." Nikis said with a grin that was visible even through his closed faceplate. "Just be yourself. And show no fear. You will be afraid, but do not show it. You four are in no danger."

"And you?" Janet asked, suddenly worried. Nikis just shrugged.

"Dragons do not react well to being woken suddenly."


	3. Chapter 3

**Waking a Dragon**

Janet materialized beside Jesse, Brianna and Cecelia. All of them were in the same attire. Jesse and Janet were holographic. Brianna and Cecelia...were not. Nikis stood nearby, his attire the same as it had been in the virtual world. The man in armor likewise.

"Nikis...?" Janet asked slowly, staring first at herself and then at Jesse, who were both attired as they had been in the virtual world. Stood to reason, since they were holograms here, projected through a device Ric was tweaking.

"Let me do the talking." Nikis said quietly. "Brianna will need to check him out once he wakes. Cecelia... try not to say anything." He commanded. "You are not protected as well as Ric and myself are." Cecelia paled but nodded as she moved to stand by the two holograms. Brianna remained where she was.

"Where are we?" Jesse asked, her eyes roving. "This place...feels familiar."

"It should." Nikis said with a smile in his voice. He nodded as Janet stared around and inhaled sharply. The decor was Orokin. A Tower! "This is where Iriana works. I have to say, of all the places he might have picked to hide... this one was inspired."

"He wasn't _hiding_, Nikis." Ric said quietly. "He was doing _penance_. He figured it was eternal."

"Nothing lasts forever." Nikis growled. "Shall we?" He nodded to what was apparently a wall. Janet could...feel something. A pressure. Something was crawling up her spine, screaming 'Run!'

"Nikis..." Janet said softly. "I feel...something odd." Jesse nodded as well. Brianna and Cecelia just looked confused. Nikis looked at Janet and Jesse and then at Ric who nodded.

"The wards were built to keep everyone away." Ric said with a sigh. "Good work too. I can't turn them off." He looked at Jesse who nodded back.

"You think I can." Jesse said slowly. "What kind of wards?" She asked, her eyes not leaving the wall Nikis was also staring at.

"Emotional aversion and physical repulsion." Ric said with a grunt as he stepped towards the wall and then took a step back. "Dang, still live after all this time. I surprise myself occasionally."

"You always were a wizard when it came to tech." Nikis agreed. "Jesse?"

Instead of answering, Jesse's hologram stepped forward, her hands glowing with dark blue code. She took another step, passing Ric who waited. She laid a hand on the wall and the dark blue code flared brighter.

"This is..." Jesse inhaled deeply, her voice turning awed. "This is _beautiful_."

"Be careful." Ric warned. "I put a trap in. I bet he did the same."

"Yes..." Jesse's voice was distracted, her eyes far away. "I can... see... Oh... That is _sneaky_..." She said to no one in particular. "I... Hmmm..." She paused and her focus returned. She looked at Ric. "Was your trap an Orokin soul catcher?" Ric went still and she sighed. "Guess not."

"A _soul catcher_? Jesse! Get _away_ from that!" Janet demanded as she stepped forward. Soul catchers had been _built_ to grab and _hold_ energy forms. Not necessarily gently.

"It can't touch me, Mom." Jesse said with a sigh as she held up a hand, barring Janet's way. "It _can_ take you. Please, Mom, step back." She begged. "I can do this."

"Nikis!" Janet pleaded as Jesse turned back to the wall.

"Jesse..." Nikis said slowly as he stepped up to where she was still touching the wall. "Those are very dangerous."

"I know." Jesse said with a grunt as she focused. "Trinity told me a little about them. It seems... Kind of like what warframes do to digitize prisoners?" She queried as Janet made a strangled noise.

"Kind of." Nikis said softly. "Jesse... let me handle it."

"All right." Jesse said, stepping back. "There are two other traps I can detect." Nikis paused, his hand halfway to the wall. "One seems to be a Mind Pull into a virtual environment, I bet an _unpleasant_ one..." She looked at Ric who nodded. "The other... I think is an alarm. At least I did not find any dangerous mechanisms anywhere connected to it. Set to signal and nothing more."

"Yours?" Nikis asked Ric who shrugged.

"Mine is a short term jaunt into a virtual world where disembodied voices scream at you in four languages. Two minutes real world time. Virtual time would vary. It wasn't meant to be lethal. Just to scare the hell out of people and make them stay far away." Ric said quietly. "The other? I have no idea. But I wouldn't put it past him to have a watch set. Mine was basically a 'Keep out'. His?"

"'I will steal your mind and imprison it until your body falls apart'." Nikis grunted as he laid a hand on the wall and it was suddenly glowing golden. "Wow... he is good." The gold flared then was gone. "I think I tripped the alarm."

"You did." Jesse said quickly as Ric stepped up and laid a hand on the wall. A flash of brownish energy and suddenly where a wall had been, a shimmering expanse of golden energy was in its place. "I can... probably open this..." Jesse said a bit dubiously.

"Yeah, you probably can." Nikis agreed. "But there is no need. I have it." He slid a ring onto his finger and tapped the shimmering gold with the finger the ring was on. "Open Sesame." The wall... winked out, showing a dark space beyond.

"_Open Sesame?_" Janet demanded, incredulous.

"Hey, it worked for Aladdin." Nikis said with a snort as he stepped forward. A light came from his gauntlet and illuminated the dark area. But... it was empty. "What the hell?" He turned to Ric who was standing dumbfounded.

"I..." Ric stammered. "This is where he _was_! He went into the pod here and..." He shook his head. "This is...wrong."

"_Freeze!_" Jesse screamed as Nikis took another step forward. Everyone did. "Look at the floor!" All eyes went to the floor where a series of golden lines set in a circle were slowly starting to glow. "Grand Master Nikis... Let me..." She said slowly as she stepped forward. Nikis shook his head as the golden code erupted into fire. "I can do this."

"Jesse..." Janet begged. Jesse smiled.

"I can do this, Mom." Jesse said softly. "I can." She stepped to where Nikis stood, staring at the fire. "With your permission?"

"Be careful." Nikis said in an undertone just for her ears. "If you get hurt, your mom will flay me."

"There... is danger." Jesse said heavily. "But I can do this." Nikis nodded to her and stepped back to where Janet was staring at her daughter who was suddenly wreathed in dark blue energy. "You have your abilities, Mom." Jesse said calmly. "I have mine. I can do this."

"You better come back intact or I _will_ tan your backside." Janet said sternly and more than one person smiled.

"I know." Jesse said with a grin that faded as she stepped closer to the fire. She held out her hands in front of herself, palms outward and dark blue code arced from them into the fire. She took a deep breath and slowly spread her hands. More than one set of eyes went large as the fire... split in front of her. The golden code on the floor it had come from flared and went dark in front of her. The area...inside the circle of fire was darker than night. Darker than space. She bowed her head and spoke in a language Janet did not know.

"What-?" Janet asked, but Cecelia made a hush motion and Janet stilled.

"She said 'We come in peace to speak the truth.'" Cecelia said softly. "Old Orokin. She learned a _lot_ from Trinity." Everything seemed to stop as a deep voice answered her in the same tongue. One word. Janet stared at Cecelia and the girl swallowed a little. "_He_ said... 'Leave.'"

Janet shook her head as Jesse spoke again, her tone respectful, but firm. Then Nikis spoke in the same language and the darkness in front of them seemed to recoil a little. He laid hand on Janet's holographic arm and suddenly...

"You..." The words were clear to Janet. She stared at Nikis who nodded. He had taught her to understand the language somehow. "Why did it _have_ to be _you?_"

"Your oath was to do penance until the world ended, Ser Draco." Nikis said quietly. "It did."

"And yet, here you stand." The voice was calm, but... sad?

"Orokin met an enemy they could not face." Nikis said heavily. "They fared...poorly. They made... mistakes. They paid for them. The Empire fell. Collapsed. The Golden Age is gone. The Age is Dark. We need heroes once more."

"Heroes?" The other asked. Then it turned angry. "What _use_ are _heroes_? Dead men and women do not _serve_. They do not _aid_ others. They do not gain _honor_! They _rot!_ _Leave me!_"

"Ser Draco." Janet could barely believe she was speaking. "We need you." Somehow, _she_ was speaking the same language. She _had_ to ask Nikis how he did that.

"Who are you?" The voice asked, his tone more respectful. "You attire is familiar but you are not... Kalina. Where is Kalina, Nikis?" Nikis bowed his head and the voice gasped. "No... oh _no_..."

"Kalina passed into the database. She was taken and hurt by evil men, but now she is free." Nikis said softly. "This one... found me and I found her. Kalina approves."

"And you wondered why I stayed away from that foul necromancy?" The voice asked sourly. "You were always crazy but this... Nikis... I cannot..." Janet spoke before Nikis did.

"It was not your fault." Janet said firmly. "Your responsibility? Yes. What you did was...excessive. Perhaps it demanded some kind of punishment, but this... No." She shook her head firmly. "We need you. _I_ need you."

"_You_... need _me_?" The voice asked. "You know not of what you speak."

"Perhaps not." Janet admitted. "I am not Tenno. My daughter is. Now." She could feel the scrutiny of whoever was in the darkness beyond the light's beam shift to Jesse who remained still.

"Cyberlancer." The male voice mused. "You may relax." The fire...died. The beam of the handlight did not pierce the darkness beyond where the fire had been.

"If it all the same to you..." Jesse said quietly, but did not relax. "I know you not. These say you are honorable, but I do not know you. I mean no offense, but my trust has been abused. I will not lower my guard."

"Well said." The other replied. "I can respect that."

"Not to mention that if I let you, you would toss us all out on our rear ends." Jesse said with a snort. Everyone stared at her, but the dark voice... laughed.

"I would probably be a bit more polite about it." The other replied. "Nikis has a temper."

"You don't _say_!" Janet, Jesse, Cecelia, Brianna and Ric all chorused. Nikis made a rude gesture at them.

"That is not very 'royal', Nikis." Janet said with a smile. "Remind me to punish you." Nikis just shook his head.

"You _are_ a good match for him." The dark voice sounded... considering now. "What is it you wish?"

"Me?" Janet asked sadly. "I want my life to stop being so crazy. I want my injuries to heal. I want my children safe. I want to live without fear and I want the same for my family and friends. But I am needed, so I must serve."

"Why?" The other asked. He sounded honestly curious. "You are human, not Tenno. Why must you serve?" Janet looked at Nikis who shrugged.

"I am an Oracle." Janet said quietly. The darkness was silent and Janet bowed her head. "I have seen what will happen if I do not aid. If I do the wrong thing. I am mortal, fallible. Fragile. But I cannot stand by and do nothing while the world gets even worse than it is. If I must be a sole beacon of hope in this dark time, then so be it."

"Beacons burn." The dark voice said softly. "And so do you. You flare brightly in my darkness." He sounded... so sad. "You bear a terrible curse, Oracle." Janet nodded. "And yet you continue to strive? Why?"

"Because I must." Janet replied. "May I see who I speak to?"

The darkness... uncoiled. Cecelia gave a gasp and retreated a step. Brianna remained where she was. Nikis, Ric and Jesse did not move as a huge reptilian form slowly stepped out into the light. Janet shook her head.

"Pretty." Janet nodded to the serpentine form. "But that is not you."

"Ah, just once I wish you wouldn't warn them, Nikis." The huge form vanished and a humanoid form stood in its place. Behind him, an Orokin cryopod hung open. The warframe...wasn't quite right. Bits of it shimmered in places. Different colors of energy kept the eye from focusing on its parts, no doubt deliberately. He was fully armed. A sword and rifle hung at his back, a pistol at his side.

"Having people faint or have heart attacks is not good for public relations." Nikis replied evenly. "But... You do the illusion well." He said with a nod. "Chinese?" He asked, curious.

"I did Welsh last time and French before that." The Tenno said as he took another step forward. He nodded to Jesse who hadn't moved. "Who trained you? You do not feel familiar but your energy patterns are."

"Trinity." Jesse replied evenly, still not lowering her guard. The other seemed to stiffen and then he nodded.

"Ah, that explains it." The other Tenno replied. His gaze fell on Janet who fought not to flinch. "Oracle... You know not what you ask."

"Can you explain?" Janet kept her voice level through sheer force of will. This Tenno exuded power and terror. Nikis _used_ fear. This being _was_ fear. No wonder Nikis had said he was scared of the guy.

"I can try." The odd Tenno said as he sat... in midair. Janet pursed her lips and he shrugged.

"Showoff." Nikis had fond exasperation coloring his tone.

"Takes one to know one, huh,. Nikis?" The other replied. "As Nikis stated, I am Draco. Called Ser by my peers within the Society. Of whom Ricard was one." He glanced at Ric. "I did not expect you to betray me, Ricard."

"He did not." Nikis said firmly. "I demanded his aid. And he is no longer Ricard. His memory was damaged." The other went hissed and Nikis continued. "He forgot much. Forgets much. But _Ric_ is still the best with tech I have ever seen."

"The world..._did_ end..." Draco said softly, almost bewildered. "I...see."

"There can be no forgiving." Ric said sadly. "I knew that."

"You are wrong, my old friend." Draco said gently. "If he spoke as the _King_? Which no doubt he _did_... Could you _disobey_?"

"I _could_ have." Ric said softly. Cecelia moved to stand by him and laid a hand on his arm. He nodded to her. "But there are so few of us left. So few of us who want to remember the good of the past. And now? I cannot remember so much."

"Be easy, Ric." Draco said quietly. "_Ricard_ swore the oath to me. And Ric _or_ Ricard... No matter _who_ you are... You could no more disobey the orders of the King of Sol West than you could swim through molten _magma_ without a warframe." Ric jerked but then he nodded. "It _is_ good to see you."

"May I examine you, Sir Knight?" Brianna asked calmly. "I am Brianna, sworn to the service of Ric's Order." Draco inclined his head and she approached, a metal object in hand. It looked ancient and crude, but it hummed with the same noise of any modern scanner as she swept it over his warframe. "You are... very articulate for just having woken from cryo."

"I have been awake for some time." Draco replied. She stared at him and he shrugged. "I woke from the cryo sleep about a year ago." Everything stopped at that and Draco shrugged. "I could not leave."

"It was _sealed_. From the _outside!_" Jesse sounded horrified and Draco nodded. "I... You would have spent _eternity_ in here... _alone_..."

"Yes." Draco agreed. "I do not know if they told you, young Cyberlancer. But I was... distraught after my last assignment. I failed. Failure is to be expected if not appreciated. No human or Tenno can succeed in _everything_." She shook her head and he continued. "But I crossed the line. I hurt innocents. I asked for punishment and it was refused me."

"You wanted more than we were willing to do." Nikis sounded calm. Mostly. "Yes, what you did was excessive. I would have done _worse_."

"Begging your pardon, Nikis, but you are _you_. Not _me_." Draco said calmly as Briana finished her scans. "Apothecary?"

"You are in good shape." Brianna commented. "The cryo-nesia will have left gaps in your memory, but it may or may not be recognizable." Draco nodded to her and she returned it as she stepped back. "Be well, Sir Knight."

"I will try, Apothecary Brianna." Draco turned his head back to Janet who was looking a bit bemused. "Problem, Oracle?"

"I do not know." Janet said with a grunt. "You seem... too good to be true. A true knight. And not as damaged by the long sleep as so many were. We have been tricked before. To our cost."

"I can but try to assuage your concerns." Draco replied evenly. "What would you have of me?"

"My daughter really, _really_ needs a minder." Janet said and Draco stiffened. "I know what happened the last time someone asked that of you." She reassured him. "I do not ask it of you now. I merely ask for you to hear me -us- out. Then decide. If you choose to return to your prison, we will let you." All of the others stiffened and Janet shook her head. "Coercing him to service is no better than what the Grineer did to Jesse." Draco stared at her and then shook his head.

"What's the Grineer?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A whole new world**

"You wouldn't know." Janet said quietly. "The darkness that is sweeping across the Solar System has many sources, but the most numerous at the moment are clones called Grineer." Draco nodded to her and did not speak. She continued. "Two other larger groups are present. One is the Corpus, a supposedly neutral faction who seek technology and promote trade across the system." Bitterness sang in her tone and Draco tilted his head.

"Personal experience with them I take it." Draco's words were not a question.

"I was born and raised among them." Janet said with a sigh. "My daughter likewise." Jesse nodded but did not speak when Draco looked at her. "She changed. I... left."

"I see." Draco said politely. "Long story there, but for later. The third?"

"Infested." Nikis said flatly and Draco froze. "Yeah." Nikis said sourly.

"_How_?" Draco demanded. "Every time the plague appeared, Tenno intervened, stopped it. Often at great cost, but it was our job."

"The Orokin were losing their war." Nikis was calm, but rage lay just underneath his voice. "I was... distracted, but from what I can determine... They were losing the War and were desperate. They let the Infested loose from the containment facilities." Draco snarled and Nikis nodded.

"What kind of _stupid_...?" Draco broke off, looking at Janet, Jesse, Cecelia and Brianna. "I can figure what happened _next_."

"It worked, for a time." Nikis said softly. "The 'Sentients' as they were called, were pushed back and their forces in system were apparently eradicated. But..." He shook his head. "We don't know what happened. All we have are hearsay reports. I was... busy."

"Doing?" Draco asked softly.

"Training Tenno." Nikis said in a tone that discouraged further questions. Draco nodded a little, but it was clear the discussion was far from done.

"So the Infested overran Orokin..." Draco said, his tone hushed. Nikis nodded. "Stupid, stupid..."

"Desperate people do stupid things when they are pushed too far." Jesse said into the silence that fell. "But the Grineer are the largest threat currently. We have no definite numbers on Infested areas, but the Grineer have overrun most of the Solar System."

"Number on them?" Draco asked. Nikis shrugged and Draco sighed. "I guess that is stupid question. If they clone as much as you imply... Billions." He trailed off and then shook his head again. "Cloning... fegh." He spat.

"No argument here." Nikis said with a nod. "Anyway... Jesse here was involved in a Grineer mess. They hurt her, tried to brainwash her. She managed to fight clear and in doing so found out what she was." Draco nodded respectfully to Jesse who returned it. "The problem is... She was pushed into the path." Draco seemed to still and Nikis nodded. "We do not know why."

"Because of you?" Draco asked Janet who shrugged.

"I do not know." Janet said quietly. "I cannot 'see' much when the subjects are too close to me emotionally. Not without... help." She said delicately. Nikis shook his head and Janet nodded. "I..."

"Do not bother." Draco said with a grunt. "If he doesn't want you to say, I will not be the cause of strife between you. But I can guess who might have... aided you. She always was a stickler for ethical decisions. And if you are an Oracle..." He paused and looked at Nikis. "Is it done?" He asked harshly.

"It is done." Nikis said, his tone calm. "Nyx has him." Draco relaxed.

"Is she... calmer about him?" Draco asked after a moment and Nikis shook his head. "I see."

"She has a right to anger after what he did." Janet snapped and Draco nodded soberly.

"I am certainly not saying she doesn't." Draco said quickly, his hands rising partway in a placating gesture. "But Nyx scared _Master Hayden_ occasionally. We do _not_ want her going off the deep end, even as a shade."

"I... can agree with that." Janet said with a sigh. "I barely encountered the scum myself and I was sorely hurt in the process." Draco looked at her and she made a face. "The reason I am not there in person is that I cannot move."

"And you will not leave her side." Draco's words to Jesse were not a question but she nodded anyway. "Admirable." He shook his head slowly, obviously thinking hard."So...a three way conflict. And Tenno caught in the middle."

"It gets worse." Jesse said quietly.

"Of course it does." Draco said in a mild voice that fooled no one. "What else?"

"In their desperation, the Orokin tried to duplicate Tenno." Nikis said with a snarl. Draco jerked and suddenly was on his feet. "Yeah. I know." Nikis said with a snap. "Hear us out?"

"I listen." Draco said, his stance rigid.

"They copied Tenno." Nikis said softly, barely repressed rage underlying his words. "They took human volunteers. Some of them had been exposed to Void energy and changed as a result. Others... they changed themselves. They built warframes for them, cheap copies. Mass produced."

"That... is _wrong_..." Draco breathed, horrified.

"No argument here, Draco." Nikis said softly. "They killed Kalina to do it." Draco jerked and Janet moved to stand by Nikis.

"You have my sympathy, Nikis." Draco said softly. "She was...exceptional."

"That she was." If the ancient gunfighter's voice was a little husky, no one blamed him or dared to comment. "Anyway. They asked me to train the... new Tenno. I told them to fuck off." At that, Draco chuckled.

"I can just see you doing that." The dark shrouded form said with a sinister laugh. "How many of the messengers did you kill?"

"A few." Nikis said with a matching laugh. "I... ah... Eventually, I did. They needed it. The war...was going badly. Our kin who were fighting were being overwhelmed. A few of the new ones had a clue. I trained a few. Then more." He shook his head. "Then I was betrayed."

"What?" Draco demanded. "Who would _dare?_" Now his voice held worry. Small wonder. Nikis angry was nothing anyone sane wanted to face.

"You won't know her." Nikis said sourly. "She is an AI/human hybrid called The Lotus."

"Nikis..." Jesse said softly.

"No." Nikis said with dreadful force. "I will neither forgive _nor_ forget." Janet laid her insubstantial hand on his arm and he relaxed a little. "She earned my ire and I _will_ have my revenge one day."

"What happened?" Draco asked into the silence that fell after the Nekros' declaration.

"The evil men who took Kalina's brain dead corpse from the battle in which she fell were trying to make Tenno." Nikis said softly. "They succeeded _once_. A boy. My son." Draco stared at him and then slowly sank to his knees.

"Oh no..." Draco actually gulped.

"He wasn't perfect." Nikis said as if he hadn't even heard the other's soft words. "But he was a good kid. Always learning. Always trying to do the right thing. He decided the 'right' thing for him was to become a Caretaker."

"And... the Caretakers would not just 'let' the Orokin set the Infested loose, would they?" Draco asked. Nikis shook his head. "_Damn_."

"He resisted. They confined him." Nikis said sadly. "It was a godsawful mess. Then he escaped and things got odd. He was captured. I... heard about it and went to see him. They denied me entry."

"Uh oh..." Draco swallowed hard. "And then?"

"I took it to the Elders who told me he was deranged. Dangerous." Nikis said softly. "What none of them apparently knew was that a total wackjob was trying to get information that Dustin had. He had Dustin imprisoned in a secure psychiatric ward in a off planet colony. I didn't know either. I took my appeal all the way to the top. To the Lotus, who is supposed to be a guide or some such. She refused me, told me -commanded me- to leave him where he could be helped." He spat. "_Helped_."

"This Lotus... is a _moron_." Draco said firmly.

"Again, no argument." Nikis said with a sigh. "I was on my way to try... _less than legal_ means of reaching him when all hell broke loose. The Emperor died. Some say Tenno killed him, others a Sentient attack. Others say he killed himself. I don't know. Don't care."

"And Dustin?" Draco asked, his tone oddly gentle.

"All that time you spent in cryo?" Nikis was barely in control and Janet hugged him tight, her hologram able to touch him somehow. "_He_ was in the secure psyche unit. Unable to escape. Unable to talk to anyone except shades of the First. Alone except for them. All that time. Alive. Awake and aware." Draco actually backpedaled a step and Nikis nodded. "_She_ commanded me to let them have him. I... was so angry I did not go at once. I _had_ to calm down or I would have killed everyone I met. If I _ever_ meet her in person, she _dies_." No scream could have been more definite than his cold words. "I tried to get in and couldn't. The colony was dead. I thought he was. I really did. Then they opened the unit and he was alive... but he didn't _know_ me."

"Aw shit... Nikis..." Draco shook his head. "We have had our disagreements, but _that_..."

"He is dead now." Nikis said with a sigh as he relaxed a little. "He died a hero, saving every Tenno in the system from the evil of the madman who had hurt him before." Then he nodded to Janet. "Then I met this one and she threw me for a loop."

"And you did the same for me." Janet said with a mock snarl. She gave herself a shake and nodded to Draco. "My powers manifested and I learned to control them. I helped Nikis and Nyx stop Rasputin."

"Well done." Draco said with a nod.

"And she was badly hurt in the process." Nikis said with a glower at Janet who shrugged. "And you call _me_ crazy? Silly woman."

"Nikis... anyone _sane_ calls you crazy." Draco said mildly. "You pretty much _define_ the word. Anything else?"

"There is more, but it is not for discussion outside of a totally secured environment." Nikis straightened and gave himself a shake. "Janet?"

"I have not used my powers on this, Nikis." Janet said with a frown. "I am too closely involved for them to be clear. All I have are my feelings."

"And those are?" Draco inquired politely.

"I was taught that if something seemed too good to be true, it usually _was_." Janet was still frowning. "You seem that way. I cannot say why. No offense."

"You have your secrets." Draco was not offended. Far from it. "I have mine. I am what you see before you. A Tenno. A bit wayward and storm tossed, but I still serve the Code." He shook his head. "Use your sight on me. Not on your daughter. Me." Janet stared at him. Then she slowly and cautiously opened her mind.

The visions took her.

* * *

"Mom!" Jesse exclaimed as Janet's holographic form winked out. She jerked and stared from where her mother had been to Nikis who shook his head.

"She cannot focus on the visions _and_ on us at the same time, Jesse." The Nekros reassured her. "She is good, but she cannot. No one, not even Tenno, could manage that."

"A little warning might have been nice." Jesse said flatly as she relaxed a little. "She is a good judge of character though." She glowered at Draco who shrugged. "If she did not trust you, then I should not."

"Good." Draco's soft word stopped everything. "Don't. I am as far from infallible as a Tenno can be." He turned to Nikis. "So... if she agrees... You are asking me to ward this one?" He waved a hand at Jesse who bristled a bit.

"I am right _here_." Jesse snapped. Nikis just nodded and Draco sighed.

"Young lady..." Draco said in an oddly formal tone. "Nikis is _not_ in the habit of asking for things when they are not needed. These 'Grineer'..." He mouthed the title carefully. "...hurt you. Badly."

"They _killed_ her." Nikis corrected quietly and Draco stiffened. "The docs made her a new body and she took the Trial. She passed. She is young, brand new Tenno _and_ a new Cyberlancer. She _will_ need help."

"You put me in a difficult position, Nikis." Draco complained. "After the last time, you ask me to assume such a role again?"

"I do." Nikis agreed. "Frankly? If we didn't need you, I would have left you alone. I did not know you were awake."

"I had time to think." Draco said with a nod. "Time to reflect. I could not save Karla." He sighed. "It was not my fault, although it felt that way. What I did to the girls was wrong. It saved time, but did not help me save Karla."

"Karla was the girl you were protecting?" Jesse asked and Draco nodded. "How old?"

"Fifteen." Draco replied instantly. "And yes. She propositioned me. Three times. I told her 'No' all three times. She was too young."

"I am not interested in such." Jesse replied, then looked a bit unsure. "At least... I am not _now_. My body is different from the one I knew. I may... change my mind. If you cannot do it, then there is no stigma. As mother said, we will not coerce you."

"A new body, a new role _and_ new powers." Draco blew out a breath. "You _will_ need help, Tenno Jesse." There was no derision in his voice. No rebuke. Only simple fact. "You are young and your body is new. It will confuse you."

"I do not see..." Jesse broke off as Janet appeared nearby. She was crying. "Mom?" Janet patted her daughter's holographic arm and moved to stand in front of Draco. She wiped her face with her sleeve and spoke.

"You loved Kalina." Draco inclined his head at Janet's words. Nikis jerked and then slowly relaxed. "You never acted on it."

"No." Draco agreed. "She was in love with someone else. She knew how I felt, but she did not feel the same. Perhaps I was simply in love with an ideal. With the image. But I _did_ love her." He said to Nikis who nodded slowly.

"Understandable." Nikis said softly. "She surprised the hell out of me. Many young male Tenno idolized her. With reason."

"Not just males." A new voice sounded and all of the visible eyes went huge as another hologram appeared nearby. The Zephyr warframe was standing, tapping her foot. "You are both _idiots_, you know that?" She asked Nikis and Draco who both shuffled like errant schoolboys.

"Been said." Nikis and Draco chorused. They looked at one another and Janet covered her mouth with a hand.

"I mourned you." Kalina -Nikis' first mate- said softly as she stared at Draco, who slowly nodded.

"I give apology." Draco said as he knelt. "I was your champion and I left my duties." He bowed his head.

"Draco." Kalina said firmly. "Look at me." The male Tenno did and she nodded slowly. "I am glad you survived. She needs you. _They_ need you. And _you_ need _them_." He jerked and her holographic faceplate retracted. She was smiling a bit sadly. "As always, a knight fights better with a _cause_. One stands before you." She nodded to Janet whose had fell away, she was gaping at Kalina whose smile turned impish. "But... word of advice... Don't piss her off. As bad as _I_ was when I lost my temper? Janet is _worse_."

"Hey!" Janet protested.

"_I_ didn't nearly vaporize the Solar System, Janet." Kalina said with a grin. Janet shook her head and her voice turned tender. "Nikis? Janet? Be well." She vanished.

"The _Solar System_?" Draco asked as he stared at Janet who flushed.

"I um... went a bit nuts." Janet said weakly.

"A bit more than 'a bit'." Nikis said with a snort as he moved to stand by the holo of his mate. "She got better. It hurt her, the energy she held."

"I begin to understand." Draco said with a nod. He rose and nodded to Nikis. "We will argue."

"Undoubtedly." Nikis agreed.

"I think you are a cantankerous old fool who shoots far too quickly and never _bothers_ to ask questions after." Draco continued.

"Sometimes." Nikis granted. "Not all the time these days and I am getting a bit better. Personally _I_ think you scare people just to _do_ it."

"Right back at you." Draco said as he turned to Jesse who had watched the interplay with an open mouth. She shut it with a click. "You need help, young Cyberlancer."

"I am no Warrior." Jesse stammered, a bit unnerved by this sudden change in direction. "I have no wish to be."

"Good. It is not a path for everyone." Approval sounded in Draco's tone as he looked her over. "You have a sponsor?"

"I do." Jesse's voice firmed a bit.

"I will need to meet this sponsor, but... with your permission, Oracle Janet?" Draco said quietly.

"I still think you are too good to be true." Janet said with a sigh. "But... I can find nothing to justify my feelings of disquiet."

"If you _do_ find a reason and can say so, please speak it." Draco said formally. "My duty is to protect your daughter. From external threats or internal ones." Jesse jerked and he nodded. "If _I _turn out to be a threat in some way, then said threat must be negated."

"I don't get a say in this, do I?" Jesse asked slowly.

"You do." Draco corrected her. "But to do my job, I will have to be pushy, I will have to be in your personal space at almost all times. At times you will thank me. Other times you will hate me. You may find yourself attracted to me. But I _will_ do my job. I _will_ protect you."

"For how long?" Jesse asked as Draco shifted his stance a bit. Nikis just nodded as Janet sighed.

"For as long as you need me." Draco shifted a bit. Somehow, without seeming to move, he was behind Jesse. A warding presence. "When you are trained, you won't need me anymore. But for now..."

"You do."


	5. Chapter 5

**Uh...**

"You have got to be kidding..."

Karl sounded stunned as Nikis strode into the large conference room, followed by Ric and Draco. Jesse and Janet were both already present as holograms. Draco... was shrouded in darkness still. Somehow he managed to keep his warframe from being visible. It was clear he was there, but _what_ he was... Impossible to tell.

Nikis and Ric wore their regular warframes. Nikis his pitch black Nekros and Ric his dark brown Vauban. Both were fully armed. The room... felt full. Olim and Raven stood by one wall, near the two holograms.

"Deal with it." Nikis snapped as he walked to one wall and leaned against it. "As soon as Iriana is satisfied Janet is out of danger, she and Jesse will be coming back. I will go get her with Draco."

"Draco...?" Karl said dubiously. Draco did not reply. Indeed, he did not even acknowledge the Rhino. "Nikis..."

"Don't start, numbnuts." Nikis was not angry, but he wasn't happy either. "I am in a _bad_ mood."

"Where did you come from?" Raven was scrutinizing the shrouded form and her expression was professionally blank. Draco met her gaze calmly.

"The past." Draco replied.

"And... the reason you are here...?" Raven said after a moment's thought.

"Her." Draco nodded to Jesse and suddenly everything stilled in the room. "I am a bodyguard. She needs one."

"Oh." Raven looked nonplussed for a moment and then nodded. "I can't disagree." She said after a moment. She shook her head. "I would hope your life is a bit less... exciting for a while, Jesse."

"You and me both." Jesse said with a sigh. "You and me _both_." She turned to Draco. "This is Raven, my sponsor." Draco bowed to her and Raven returned it. "And this is Olim, my teacher." Olim nodded to Draco who returned it.

"Grandmaster." Draco said with respect.

"Do you have a title or is it just Draco?" Olim inquired.

"I won't be in your databanks." Draco said with a shrug. Olim looked at him and Draco shook his head. "I won't."

"And I get the feeling you won't say why." Olim said slowly. Draco shook his head. "I see. Do you swear that protecting Jesse is your sole focus?"

"I do. I am sworn to protect Cyberlancer Jesse." Draco said quietly. "From any threat, external or internal. She has already been hurt. She will not be again if I have anything at all to say about it. Until she is fully trained to your criteria and able to defend herself, I take responsibility for her safety and security."

"Who hurt her?" Karl demanded. All eyes turned to Jesse who shook her head.

"I... can't say." Jesse said slowly. "Mom was hurt. They needed me to help her. If they had asked I would have do whatever was needed, gladly. But they did not." Raven shook her head in dismay and Jesse nodded. "I am... well. For the moment. Mom is better." She smiled at Janet who frowned.

"I was hurt because I tried to stop something bad from happening." Janet said quietly. "My own dumb fault. I tried to get out of the burn tank I am floating in. I slipped and fell. I landed on my back." She sighed. "I broke it." Karl inhaled sharply and Janet nodded. "I _am_ better. But they hurt my little girl to do it. Get her _out of here_, Nikis."

"As soon as we are done here, I am on my way, Janet." Nikis promised.

"Good." Janet said with a sigh. "The rest I think is Tenno business so I am going to butt out and get some sleep. Jesse? Be well."

"Rest well, Mom." Jesse said. The Oracle smiled and vanished. Jesse looked around and shook her head again. "For the record... I cannot say where I am. Mother gave her word and I am bound by that."

"You vanished right out of the dojo, Jesse." Karl said with a sort of feigned mildness. He was anything but happy about this. "Bad enough that you and Iriana just vanish. But _this_? Who _hurt_ you?" He demanded.

"She can't say, Karl." Nikis snapped. "She _can't_, all right?" He sighed. "I _can_. It was my younger sister, Caroline." Draco stilled and the other Tenno in the room seemed to freeze. Jesse just shook her head. "She is an Oracle too, if not in Janet's league power wise."

"There are _more_ of them?" Karl and Olim demanded as one.

"Believe me when I say you do _not_ want to know." Nikis said heavily. "I wish I didn't. They can be a royal pain in the _butt._"

"Oracles generally _were_ from the little I could find in the databanks about them." Raven sounded thoughtful. "Even with Rasputin _finally_ out of the picture... As I recall, they always had to be careful what they said." She frowned. "Or at least very circumspect. Snatching Jesse and Iriana was _not_ circumspect."

"I do not know why they did it." Nikis said with a sigh. "I will make it a priority to find out. _After_ Jesse is safe." Raven and Olim nodded at that.

"They said they needed me." Jesse said quietly. "That there were innocents in danger. I am not sure. That is one of my weaknesses. Innocents in danger."

"You think they planned to manipulate you?" Raven asked carefully.

"Almost certainly." Jesse shrugged. "But as to why? I have no idea. We will need to find out. After Iriana and I are clear."

"Oh, I will if I have to tear the place down around their ears." Nikis growled. More than one of the listeners winced at that. Draco... did not. "Janet and I are agreed. This was beyond the pale."

"What could have made Janet hurt herself trying to stop it?" Olim asked into the silence that fell. "I mean... she knows how badly she is hurt and she is not stupid."

"She said... 'A great darkness pulling her -me- in and swallowing her up as she screams'." Jesse quoted softly. "Small wonder she reacted...badly. I thought it was what the Grineer did to me. Now? I am not so sure."

"And the hybrid?" Karl demanded.

"From what Janet says, that is intended for short range work." Nikis replied. "Only within the confines of the ocean they are in, using sound instead of the way that lousy bitch Lotus does it." He didn't sound angry, more matter of fact. "Caroline swore to me that she wasn't going to put Jesse in it and I believe her. I was ready to draw down on her." He admitted. "She wouldn't lie to me. She knows I wouldn't stand for it." Draco scoffed and Nikis snorted in matching amusement. "Yeah."

"So...what now?" Raven asked after a moment when it was clear Nikis was not going to speak again.

"I need to learn a lot." Jesse said firmly. "I need to continue my training." Olim and Raven nodded approval and she continued. "But not _here_."

"We are on our way." Nikis promised. "I will leave it to you three to hash out where you want to have her." He paused as Karl growled. "Karl... there was no way you could have kept them from snatching her."

"There has to be _something_." Karl declared.

"Nothing you want to use." Draco said quietly. "Nothing that would be safe for the Healer or for Jesse." He fixed Karl with a glare. "Don't."

"You come out of _nowhere_ and expect me to..." Karl broke off as Nikis snarled at him. "What?"

"I am only going to say this the once, numbnuts." Nikis declared. "Do _not_ push him. You will _not_ like what happens..." He broke off as Draco raised a hand.

"He is doing his job as a clan leader, Nikis." Draco said mildly. "Would _you_ react any differently?" Nikis stared at the other and then sighed.

"I ain't a clan leader." Nikis said softly. "But... point taken."

"Who the _hell_ are you?" Karl demanded of Draco who ignored him. "I have never seen Nikis just... back off like that."

"He didn't." Draco said with a shrug. "But if _I_ take no offense, why should _he_?" He asked reasonably. "I am a mystery. I will _be_ a mystery. That is intentional. Anyone with foul designs on Cyberlancer Jesse will see me and have to wonder. That pause will give me time to react. We are _not_ enemies." He said to Karl. "My only concern is protecting Jesse."

"And is your past... likely to come back to bite you?" Karl asked after a moment. Draco shook his head. "You are sure?" Karl pressed.

"I cannot be a hundred percent sure." Draco replied calmly. "But the only people who knew me who still exist are Nikis and Ric. Both of them are sworn to silence."

"Nikis... and Ric...?" Raven said slowly. Olim did not move, indeed, did not react at all. "You three knew each other. Before."

"Please do not push this." Draco asked her quietly. "I know I am an enigma. But my sole focus has to be protecting Jesse. I can do that better as a shadow. Bring me into the light where everyone can see and it will be harder. I will still do it, but the collateral damage will increase." Raven looked at him and then at Nikis who nodded.

"Jesse needed the best." Nikis said quietly. "I got her the best. I do not always agree with him..." Draco made a strangled noise and Nikis shrugged. "But there is no one I know better as a bodyguard. Who I can trust anyway."

"Nikis..." Raven said softly. "This vendetta of yours..."

"Do not." Draco said quickly. "Tenno Raven, do not try. Jesse needs you. Nikis is set in his ways. I...dislike much of what he does and why. But he is honest in what he is. He has cause to be angry."

"Everyone agrees on that." Raven said sadly. "Please, bring Jesse home." Draco bowed to her and then he and Nikis left the room. She sighed. "That...being..."

"I know." Olim said quietly. "There is something _wrong_ with him."

"He uses fear as his primary weapon." Ric said quietly. "Even Nikis isn't as practiced. But a better bodyguard you will never find. Anywhere."

"_Any_where?" Raven asked, a bit concerned. After all, she knew about Avalon and the Royal Guard, the bodyguards for the Empress.

"Anywhere." Ric confirmed. "And that is all I can say." Karl just shook his head.

"He seems... much like Nikis." Karl mused. "Old. Powerful. Dedicated." Ric did not react and Karl sighed. "I won't ask."

"Thank you." Ric sounded grateful. "Frankly? He scares me too. He scares _everybody_. It is what he does. He does menace like nobody else I have ever met."

"Okay." Karl gave himself a shake. "Jesse? This is your future we are discussing. Where do you want to stay? The dojo... has proven unsafe." The admission obviously hurt him.

"There was no way to anticipate or defend against such an act." Jesse said reasonably. "And I assume that facilities for training are being set up there?" Karl looked at Olim who nodded. "Then... let us keep this as simple as we can. I am not a Warrior, but I will need training. I need to learn my physical limits as I needed to learn my spiritual and mental ones."

"Well said." Karl said, calming. "And you... are comfortable with this Draco as a guard?"

"I wouldn't say 'comfortable' myself." Jesse admitted. "But he comes highly recommended. Frankly, I am needed _and_ vulnerable." She shook her head ."I... do not want to be a Warrior."

"Jesse..." Raven said gently. "You do not need to be. We have Quais and Olim for tasks that require fieldwork. You can do Research and Development, Defense, Analysis, any number of other fields. Do not rush into anything. You have time." She scrutinized Jesse's holo and shook her head. "But for now? You need rest."

"Yes, Ma'am." Jesse said with a smile. She bowed to Karl and Olim. Then she vanished.

"Isn't this going to be fun?" Karl said with a grunt as he turned and left the room. Ric would have followed, but Olim held out a hand to forestall him.

"The course?" Olim asked.

"Set." Ric said with a nod. "Some of it will require direct supervision." He paused. "Olim... the safeties..."

"Agreed." Olim nodded. "We will need to set the course to recognize Jesse's limitations. She is not and will not _be_ a Warrior. So... we can act accordingly. Set the safeties for human level endurance and speed. At least at the beginning until she gets up to speed."

"She may choose the Warrior's Path." Raven warned him.

"I don't think so. She does not seem the type. " Olim replied. Raven shrugged. "If she _does_? No problem. None of us will constrain her. For now? We go to the dojo, make sure everything is set up. Her quarters adjoin yours."

"I am still... a bit unsure." Raven admitted as the three Tenno left the room. "She is confident in my ability to teach. But I never did."

"You will not be alone." Olim reassured her. "I have some...advisors clamoring to assist." Raven looked at him and he chuckled. "After so long stuck in the database? _Many_ of the shades would be happy to help."

"Don't step on Nikis' toes." Raven warned. "Cyberlancer or no, it wouldn't be pretty." Olim shuddered dramatically and Raven smiled. "Good boy."

"I try." Olim said with a grin in his voice as they walked.

* * *

**Sometime later**

Jesse wasn't awake. She was...aware. Sort of. It was odd. She could feel her body. It was... moving. She could not see. Could not hear. Was she dreaming? Tenno did not normally dream, so... Doubtful. Was she being kidnapped again? If so...

"I know you can hear me." A soft voice sounded from nearby. Or...the _tone_ was soft. Low pitched. The voice itself was neutral. Utterly so. "In a moment, you will wake and not remember this."

Pressure was mounting on Jesse's skull. It felt.. like and unlike what the Corpus Clergy had done to her. Like and unlike what the Grineer had done to her. She tried to scream. Tried to fight. Nothing happened. So she retreated, closed down her mind. She summoned a bit of code and extruded it from a fingertip. But before she could get any readings, it was cut off.

"None of that." The voice said sharply. "I can use you. But you are a dangerous tool. This won't hurt."

Indeed, now Jesse was floating on a sea of bliss as power arced over her body. She felt... she was...

"Every action has a consequence." The voice moderated a bit as something touched Jesse's cheek. "Good, bad or indifferent, every action has repercussions. They would use you. They would force you to serve them and them only. I am giving you a gift. Use it wisely."

Jesse forced her eyes open and caught a hint of red. She clamped down her mind behind her most powerful shields. The voice cursed, power seared into her skull and then...

* * *

Jesse woke chilled. She felt... odd. She stared around, but the room she had been led to was empty. She focused on herself and froze. Someone had manipulated her mind while she slept. Or... tried to. They hadn't seemed to _do_ anything. But she could not be sure. She checked each and every part of her brain as Trinity had taught her, sensing places where the manipulation had altered the flow of energy through the tissue.

_Why would someone... try to alter my mind so clumsily?_ Jesse asked herself slowly. _That... isn't like the Oracles. This is... Odd._

"Jesse?" Caroline's voice came from the intercom. The Oracle sounded weary. "Your ride is here."

"All right." Jesse said as she rose. She stepped to the door and staggered a bit. Whatever had been done to her... had messed up some things. She worked to correct them as Trinity had taught her. Her power was very useful for repairing damage to her organic form. "Iriana?"

"Waiting for you." The Oracle sounded abject now. "I... hope to talk to you again, Jesse." She said as the door hissed open to show the turtle standing just outside. "I am sorry."

"You saved my mother from being paralyzed." Jesse said as she started off. The pressurized portion of the Enclave wasn't that large and she knew most of it by now. "For that I am grateful. But if you had asked..."

"You might have said no and there was no time." Caroline said sadly as she fell in beside the human. She...wasn't walking. She was gliding in midair. Jesse looked at her and Caroline made a humorous noise. "You all walk so fast. I need a way to keep up."

"Do not expect me to forgive or forget, Caroline." Jesse said with a sigh. "I will not betray your secrets, because to do so would betray my mother. But do not expect me to help you willingly. _Ever_." This last was flat.

"We have earned your ire." Caroline agreed. "For what it is worth, I agree we were out of line. We should have asked. But we were scared we would lose her."

"Scared people do stupid things." Jesse agreed. "And this _was_ stupid."

"Yes." Caroline said sadly. "Your mother and Mira have both been very loud in their silence to us." Jesse looked at the turtle and Caroline sighed. "Mira is... a friend of your mother's. She feels very strongly that what we did screwed us all. We do need your help." She begged.

"I can't trust you." Jesse said firmly and the turtle seemed to slump.

"I know." Caroline said weakly. "I...For what it is worth? Be well." She stopped as the airlock appeared in front of them. Iriana stood with Nikis and a form cloaked in shadow.

Everything stopped as Iriana exclaimed.

"Jesse?" The Healer asked, worried. "What happened?"

"What?" Jesse asked. The turtle looked at her and seemed to freeze. Nikis and the shadow moved. One moment, they were beside Iriana and the next both were beside Jesse.

"What did you _do_ to her?" Nikis demanded as he took Jesse's head in a gentle hand and turned it slowly. The turtle gave a gasp. Iriana stepped forward, tools in hand.

"Nikis..." Caroline said weakly. "We didn't _do_ that! She was _fine_ when she went to sleep! I..."

"What is wrong?" Jesse asked as Draco moved to stand even closer. The bodyguard replied as Iriana started scanning.

"You are burned on the side of your head." Draco said quietly, his gaze roving.

"Someone has tried to brainwash you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Who is manipulating **_**who**_**?**

"Oh not _again_..." Jesse sighed as Iriana worked. Nikis was cursing quietly. But it was _Draco_ who worried her. _His_ gaze was fixed on Caroline and the turtle was frozen in place. "Wasn't her."

"Oh?" Nikis asked, not moving. His stillness was _frightening_. "Who then?"

"I don't know." Jesse said with a sigh. "It... didn't work. Quite. I don't think." She hissed as something Iriana did hurt, but the Healer did something else and the pain faded. "I would have said as soon as we were clear. I didn't realize there was physical damage. I woke up feeling wrong. But... it didn't feel like her. Or any of the other Oracles I have encountered." She paused. "Admittedly, I really have only sensed Caroline and whoever operated on me. I feel... their traces. Not them."

"It wasn't _us!_" Caroline begged. She broke off as Iriana hissed "Healer?" Caroline asked.

"Nikis..." Iriana sounded stunned now. "You need to see this..." She held out a small device to the Nekros who looked at it and froze. Draco glanced at it and nodded.

"What?" Jesse asked.

"Not here." Iriana said slowly. "Jesse, the physical burns are from energy reacting to your shields. You got them up in time. Good girl." She patted Jesse's arm, reassuring. "I cannot detect any changes, but with the portable scanner, I cannot be _sure_."

"What then?" Jesse asked, forcing calm. Iriana sighed.

"We need to get you somewhere with gear I trust." Caroline made a soft noise of dismay at Iriana's harsh tone, but the four Tenno ignored her. "Best if you sleep until you get there, just in case." Jesse nodded and relaxed as Iriana produced a hypo. "Good girl." Iriana repeated as she injected the sedative. She felt rather than saw Iriana take hold and lift her as she crumpled.

Then Jesse fell into sleep that was untroubled.

* * *

"Iriana?" Nikis asked as the Healer set the sleeping girl on a tiny bed that had been had been readied for her in his ship.

"I cannot be sure, Nikis." Iriana said heavily. "And my feelings are all messed up."

"That was a Tenno technique." Draco said as he sat in seiza beside Jesse's bed. "Rarely used, but most often when Tenno had mental difficulty." Iriana glanced at him but he said no more.

"She is not..." Iriana shook her head." I can find no abnormalities. She seems like when she went to sleep. But I cannot be _sure_ without full scans. If it _was_ him..."

"Don't borrow trouble, Iriana." Nikis said, his tone oddly gentle. Draco glanced sharply at the ancient gunfighter and Nikis shook his head. "You have been stressed enough. We get her back, get her checked out and then we go on from there."

"Right." Iriana knelt beside Draco, her hand coming down to caress Jesse's sleeping brow. "She is such a good kid. If it _was_ him... make it _hurt_." She said flatly.

"Iriana, you need rest too." Nikis said quietly. "Six hours to the dojo."

A rumble heralded the ship's drives beginning to thrust. It felt... different. Then again... it would. They were not in space. They were underwater. Spacecraft could make dandy submarines with a bit of work and the proper applications of energy. Force fields to keep the pressure at bay and ease the passage through a medium much denser than air. Sonar systems to warn of dangers. Thrusters that would not contaminate the water around them. All of which Nikis had done to be able to visit his sister. Not quite as efficient as a normal Liset, perhaps. But still just as stealthy and capable of going places that others could not.

"Right." Iriana sighed and sank back to begin her meditation. In moments, she was oblivious to anything the two male Tenno would do. But Nikis nodded to a small passageway and Draco followed him into it. The way led up a ramp to the claustrophobic control center of the Liset.

"You know who did it." Draco said without preamble.

"I _suspect_ who did it." Nikis corrected as the ramp behind them closed. "With some help, we may be able to get proof. But he is a slippery one. I have hunted him occasionally. He is a kinslayer."

"A Tenno." Draco pressed and Nikis nodded soberly. "Aw shit..."

"Yeah. 'Aw shit' is right." Nikis agreed. "When Orokin fell.. When the Emperor died... Tenno were blamed for what happened. Maybe they were responsible? Maybe not. I don't know. Wasn't there."

"So you said." Draco replied evenly.

"From what little I have gathered... one of the Tenno who _was_ there survived." Nikis said heavily. "As for... in what condition? I don't know. Various people who have encountered him say he fights as a Tenno, but... not. He wears a warframe that is unlike any we have seen and is immune to most powers. Both I can corroborate. I have faced him a few times. He usually runs."

"Joy." Draco said with a shake of his head. "But after so long? Don't tell me you never got him. I know you."

"Yeah." Nikis sighed. "When he is killed, he comes back. No one knows if it is cloning, energy transfer, or whatever. He doesn't stay dead any more than most Tenno would." Draco slumped a bit and Nikis nodded. "I have caught him a few times and blown his head off or cut him to pieces. But he keeps coming back. I can't get a grip on his energy."

"_Definitely_ sounds like a Tenno then." Draco agreed. "And that makes this... much harder."

"Agreed." Nikis shook his head. "I need advice, Draco." The other Tenno looked at him and Nikis sighed. "If he hurt her once, he will try again."

"And you want to use her as bait." The shadow cloaked Tenno replied calmly. Nikis nodded. "Not my call."

"Her mom would flip out. Rightly so." Nikis slumped a bit. "I have to play the cold hearted scum, Draco. The rep helps a lot. Most of the time."

"Nikis, you know as well as I do that there is only one person you can ask for such." Draco said quietly. "Jesse."

"I wanted an opinion." Nikis stated.

"Okay..." Draco said with a sigh. "My _opinion_ is that she is hideously vulnerable. Worse than I thought. We need to get her somewhere safe and keep her there." His shadow cloaked head twisted in a shaking motion. "If _she_ chooses to help trap this kinslayer, I will ward her. If not..."

"If not, that is the end of it." Nikis agreed. "The good news is that even that lousy scum knows better than to try his luck at a Tenno Dojo."

"And the _bad_ news?" Draco asked softly.

"Iriana has a history with the Stalker." Nikis said heavily. "A...fairly complicated one."

"'The Stalker'?" Draco asked and then nodded. "Short and to the point."

"You need to know." Nikis said with a nod. "Iriana fell in love with a man about seventeen years ago. They had a kid. Her name is Mishka." Draco looked at him and Nikis nodded. "It was him. Spying on one of our hidden colonies apparently. Either... a long laid plot or... something else." He said with a shrug.

"Not really germane to me." Draco gave a shrug of his own. "As long as he leaves Jesse alone, I will leave him alone. If he touches her again, I will see how good he is for myself."

"He is not bad." Nikis mused. "Not in our class, but then again... who _is?_" Draco did not respond and Nikis sighed. "I will ask her, but not until after she has had a chance to recover. To be checked out and get herself situated."

"How many of us are left?" Draco asked after a moment.

"Not many." Nikis said sadly. "Sun is still doing what he does. Bellina and Richard both died." Draco bowed his head. "Others... I don't know."

"A fallen world..." Draco said softly and Nikis nodded. "I will protect Jesse. Anything else I should know?"

"There are...factions around the system." Nikis said quietly. "Syndicates, they call themselves. Mostly groups of people splintered off the main groups, but a couple of fringe groups too. They fight each other as much as they fight the Grineer, Corpus and Infested."

"More of a mess." Draco said with a sigh. "Jesse would be a prize for them."

"Over our dead bodies." Nikis snapped and Draco nodded. Nikis shook his head again. "Two other groups. Not known to most. Working in secret." Draco looked at him and Nikis sighed. "I don't fully trust either group. But they are trying to work with the Tenno instead of opposing."

"You are setting me up for something." Draco said firmly. "Just say it."

"First group is Orokin." Nikis said with a nod. Draco stiffened and Nikis nodded. "A tiny splinter group who hid away at the Emperor's Retreat, led by an Empress. One of the last Emperor's daughters." Draco whistled softly and Nikis nodded. "Limited personnel, but essentially any Orokin tech you can imagine and then some."

"And you trust them?" Draco paused and the scoffed. "No, of course you don't."

"Eliza -the current Empress- seems to mean well." Nikis said in a tone of trying to be reasonable."But no. Trusting Orokin is stupid. Eliza ran off and lived with Tenno for a good chunk of her life, so she is a bit less... straitlaced than most of the Emperor's court we dealt with."

"Good for her." Draco said with a nod. "And the other group?"

"Ah... yes..." Nikis actually squirmed a bit and Draco stared at him. "You know...what the Caretakers did, right?"

"Yeah." Draco replied, a bit mystified. "They maintained the quarantine. A nasty job, but needed. Technocyte infection cannot be cured."

"Under normal circumstances, no." Nikis agreed. "It has happened occasionally to my knowledge, but very rarely and never reliably."

"And all it takes is one infected to spread the mess all over again." Draco said with a sigh that Nikis matched. He paused. "The Enemy?"

"It rose again." Nikis said with a half groan, half sob. "Phoenix rose as well." Draco bowed his head deeply and both ancient Tenno spoke in unison.

"We will remember." They chorused.

"I... uh..." Nikis shook his head after a moment of silence. "This is going to sound nuts."

"More than usual?" Draco asked, perfectly serious.

"Yeah." Nikis replied and Draco seemed to shiver a bit.

"Go for it." The shrouded Tenno said with a sigh.

"The Caretakers were not just maintaining the quarantine." Nikis said with a nod. "They were also working on a project. An old, old project. More a make work thing than an actual hope. But... it worked."

"What kind of project?" Draco asked slowly.

"Communicating with Infested." Nikis said quietly. Draco scoffed but Nikis just shook his head. "They didn't manage it. The Infested communicated with _them._" Draco froze and Nikis nodded. "A tiny fragment of the mass of Infested, but...sentient. Sane."

"Are you _saying_...?" Draco swallowed hard.

"Most Infested are the ones we knew. Bestial. Nasty and infectious as anything we saw." Nikis said with a nod. "Not _all_. There are _still_ Caretakers and their charge now is to maintain that stable mass of minds."

"If it were _anyone_ else saying this, I would laugh in their face." Draco said slowly. "You are serious."

"Totally." Nikis said quietly. "I have dealt with them, the Infested and the Caretakers, fairly frequently. Dustin took a mate. She is one of the Caretakers." Draco swallowed hard and nodded. "She has a kid on the way." Drao stared at him and then, wonder of wonders, started to snicker. "Don't..." Nikis warned.

"Just when I think I have heard _everything_..." Draco chuckled. "_Nikis_ _the_ _Terrible_ is gonna be a _grandpa_..."

"You tell _anyone_ that name, 'Edwin', and I _will_ hurt you." Nikis said with dreadful promise in his tone. Draco just chuckled harder and then Nikis was laughing too. They both laughed for a minute or two.

"Any _other_ surprises?" Draco asked after he managed to stop laughing.

"Not that I know of." Nikis sighed and chuckled ruefully. "Dang I needed that. Too long serious."

"You know what that means, Nikis." Draco said quietly and Nikis nodded.

"Yeah I do, Draco." Nikis said with a sigh. "Yeah I do."

"Whatever is coming to blindside us is gonna be bad."

**Back at the Enclave**

"Anything?" Caroline was not upset. She worked hard not to stay upset when she got that way.

"No, Oracle Caroline." Natalie E-12 was worried. Caroline was not usually quite so...frightened. "None of the sensors reported anything abnormal. There is evidence of malfunction in two of the network nodes, but that should not have degraded the sensors."

"Someone harmed Jesse while the girl slept." Caroline said with a sigh. "We really need to find out _who_ and _why_. Preferably _before_ Janet wakes up."

"As you wish, Oracle." Natalie E-12 bent to her task and the turtle that was Oracle Caroline turned to go. She paused as Natalie E-12 spoke again. "Oracle... can you say why?"

"Why what?" Carolina asked, but she figured she knew the answer.

"Why didn't you ask Jesse to donate tissue to help her mom?" Natalie begged as she spun to face the turtle. "She would have said 'Yes'. She wouldn't have been angry. Oracle Janet would not have been angry."

"I can't say, Natalie E-12." Caroline said with a sigh. "For now? Keep your mask close at hand. I do not anticipate problems, but we have no moved this thing in a long, long time." Natalie E-12 was crying and Caroline sighed and stepped back to her, nuzzling her arm with her nose. "Natalie E-12... I can't say . There is a reason. A good one. You needed to be upset with us. _She_ needed to see you upset with us. That is all I can say."

"So there was a reason." Natalie bowed her head. "Does... Oracle Janet know?"

"I don't know." Caroline admitted. "Janet plays her cards very close to her chest. She keeps secrets like nobody's business."

"Will Jesse be all right?" Natalie E-12 asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I don't know." Caroline nuzzled the girl's arm again. "For right now, we need to move. Keep looking, see if you can get anything from the records. Something had to show. Something. Anything."

"Where... where will we go?" Natalia E-12 begged as she bent back to her task.

"Run silent, run deep." Caroline said softly. "That is where. Go on. If you need anything, call."

With that, the turtle moved away, striding for the door. Natalie E-12 did not watch as she left, her focus was on her screens. She jerked as a rumble was felt through the floor and she stared up at the ceiling apprehensively, but nothing happened beyond that and she shook herself and returned to her work.

She hadn't really believed when the others had told her that the Enclave had been designed to be mobile. She has seen huge spacecraft, true. But this was very different. This...community had been situated in an underwater cave for a long time. Natalie E-12 had no idea how long. But she had heard a conversation about some of the machinery not being serviced in millennia...

She really hoped it worked as it...

Natalia E-12 jerked and stared at the screen. Then she paused as she saw a flash of red. She paused in her search and replayed the scene she had just seen again. Not much. Just a flash of red that might have been armor. She keyed the intercom.

"Oracle Caroline? I found something." She paused. Why was there no reply? "Oracle Caroline?" She called again. The door opened and she turned.

She had a bare moment to scream as the black and red armored form shot her.

* * *

**Five minutes later**

"No permanent damage." Caroline said as Natalie E-12 was lowered into an oblong pod. She was still, so still as the pod filled with fluid and she gasped once, then relaxed as the gills that had been affixed to her neck started working. The fluid would keep her docile and allow for changes at a cellular level if needed. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Don't lie to me, Caroline." Janet said weakly from the side where she lay on a bed. She was strapped down, an odd metal circlet around her head. A mask covered her nose and mouth. "I saw who you are working with. I saw what you are going to do." Caroline did not reply and Janet snarled at her. "Do you have _any_ idea what is going to happen? When they find out? They _will_."

"We do. Janet, we do not want to _hurt_ anyone." Caroline replied evenly. "Not her. Not _you_. That is why she was sedated. She saw something she shouldn't have. She won't remember it when she wakes."

"I should have known." Janet said sadly. "Too good to be true. You _all_ were. Lying, cheating pieces of crap!"

"We have not lied to you, Janet." Caroline said severely. "And we _won't_. You are restrained and your powers blocked so you do not hurt yourself again. Don't make us sedate you."

"And the body you are building for me...?" Janet said with a snarl as she tried to struggle and could barely move a finger. "I assume it has controls built in?"

"We are not the _Orokin_, Janet!" Caroline snapped. "Eventually, your human body will _wear out_, even if you do not keep hurting yourself. We need you, Janet. We are making you a body for when your human body fails."

"_Stop lying to me!_" Janet screamed at the turtle. "_I __**know**__ what you are..._" She gave a gasp and slumped, her eyes closing.

_I told you she would react badly._ The voice of the Oracle's medic was sad. _We should have brought her in fully. Explained._

"She would not have understood, Jean." Caroline said sadly as she stepped toward the bed Janet lay still on. "She would have fought. In her condition? It would have killed her. This way, we can explain. Let her ease into her new life."

_So... instead, we wind up running from the Tenno. From your brother._ Jean said with a sigh. _I fail to see the improvement in our situation._

"She is not dead." Caroline turned towards the door and glared at the form who was speaking. "Where there is life? There is hope. Without life, there is none. You needed her daughter gone. She is gone."

_And as soon as they realize that you never __**intended **__to brainwash Jesse?_ Jean demanded. _What __**then**__?_

"We better be well hidden." Stalker said with a grunt as he leaned against the wall. "Or we are all dead. And then..." He sighed and Caroline nodded. The turtle's voice was soft and worried.

"Everything is."


	7. Chapter 7

**Moving forward**

Jesse came awake suddenly and completely. She cracked her eyes and then smiled a little. Draco was lurking in plain sight by one the door of the small room. Raven sat in a chair by the bed Jesse was lying in.

"No other problems?" Jesse asked as she sat up.

"No." Raven said with a smile that tugged the scar tissue on her face. "Scans are clean and you are good to go."

"Finally, something went right." Jesse said with a groan as she swung her legs off the bed. "What now?"

"A couple of things." Raven nodded as she rose. "First and foremost... You are clean. You were scanned by every device Iriana could lay her hands on. Olim did a full sweep. No brainwashing was detected."

"None?" Jesse asked, momentarily confused. "No evidence at _all_?" It wasn't supposed to work like that, was it?

"Just the superficial. Skin burns and energy markers in places. No actual manipulations." Raven said with a frown. "And yes, it is perplexing."

"That...doesn't make any sense." Jesse said slowly. "Trinity told me there would be some leakage past my shields even in the best of circumstances. Not enough to control me, but enough to leave traces. There is _nothing?_" Raven shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense." She repeated.

"I know. For now? Not your concern." Raven replied. "Nikis is going to look into it." Jesse swallowed hard and Raven nodded. "Second thing? We are in the dojo you were snatched from. They are... a bit peeved."

"I bet." Jesse said with a wince. "Iriana?"

"She went back to work, but promised to check up on you when she can." Raven said with a smile. "She didn't want to go, but they need her."

"No rest for the weary." Jesse said with a frown. "I hope she doesn't push herself too far."

"Me too." Raven agreed. "She is good, but there are limits." She shook herself. "We can hope her staff are as diligent in caring for her as they are in caring for everyone else. But for now? Not your concern either." Jesse nodded.

"So... what first?" Jesse asked as she rose to her feet. Raven did as well.

"There are certain formalities to be seen to. We haven't had a new sister come the way you did in a long, long time." Raven said with a smile. "Which is good. You took some nasty bumps, girl."

"Could have been worse." Jesse said with a nod. "But I agree. Wouldn't want to do it again."

"Well, we are going to do our best to make sure you _don't_ do it again." Raven bent down and picked up a long thing from the floor. "But there is something..." Jesse stared at the wrapped bundle and slowly knelt. "Ah... Trinity explained."

"They all did." Jesse watched as Raven unwrapped the long metal thing. A sword. "I know the words."

"Then speak." Raven said as she knelt and held out the sword balanced on both of her hands. Jesse laid her hands on it, but did not take it. Instead, she looked at Draco and spoke quietly but firmly.

_"This is my skana. There are many like it, but this one is mine._

_My skana is my best friend. It is my life and my soul. I must master it as I must master my life._

_My skana, without me, is useless. Without my skana, I am useless. I will strike true with my skana. I must strike faster and harder than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I will kill him before he kills me. I will be the metal of my skana. I will be the edge that cuts, the point that pierces, the guard that parries. I will be my skana._

_My skana is my life. My duty is laid on the edge of the skana, and is exposed for all to see._

_I am Tenno. This is my skana."_

Jesse bowed her head at the end and closed her hands around the metal object, careful of the razor sharp edge. One hand above the blade, one hand below, just as her first instructor had taught her. She brought the blade up to vertical and then slowly swung it beck behind her. It was no surprise that the blade snapped into place against her back. She was wearing a Tenno bodysuit. Of course it had provisions for weapons attachment. She could feel the mass of the blade and it was ready to her hand.

"I am Tenno." Jesse said, drawing her skana and holding it in a formal kneeling bow to Raven and Draco.

"Hail Tenno." Raven and Draco both replied just as formally. Jesse smiled a bit forlornly as she returned the blade to her back.

"Problem, Jesse?" Raven asked as she started to get up.

"I am not strong enough to do it justice." Jesse said with a sigh as she waited for Raven to rise and then did likewise.

"You will get better." Raven promised her. "Even decrepit fossils like me use the skana for exercise. That one is keyed to you though. No one else will be able to use it without extensive reworking." She paused. "_You_ might be able to break a genetic lock, but I do not recommend experimenting."

"Someone told me that dojos were very strict about unauthorized weapons." Jesse said suddenly as she looked at Draco. She could tell he was armed, but not with what. His cloak foiled even her enhanced senses.

"Mine are authorized." Draco replied evenly. "I have to be armed to be your guard. So is that." He inclined his head to her skana. "But you will not want to walk around armed all the time, I do not think."

"I will need to get used to this..." Jesse drew the skana and looked at it. "I don't think it really sank in until now. I am not human anymore." Raven shook her head as Jesse sheathed her skana again. "I never practiced with swords."

"Did you practice other weapons?" Raven asked as she led the way towards the door. Jesse made a face and Raven paused. "Jesse?"

"You will laugh." Jesse's voice was tiny.

"I might." Raven shrugged. "But if you have practiced any weapons it will help. What have you practiced?" Jesse muttered something and Raven looked at her "Excuse me?"

"They didn't have swords or anything but shock batons." Jesse said with a sigh. "So I looked up some stuff and made some Michelangelos."

"Some... _what?_" Raven asked, confused. "What are Michelangelos?"

"I..." Jesse sighed and shook her head. "I don't know where they were from. Two rods held together by a chain. I found them in an ancient historical holo about mutants."

"Mutants?" Raven sounded even more confused. But Draco had stopped in mid-step. He was obviously staring at Jesse. "Draco?" The Elder asked, her tone halfway to cross.

"Mutants." Draco said slowly. "Four brothers. All who used different weapons? One a staff, one two swords, one two short three pronged daggers and those?" Jesse nodded and Draco made noise that was... odd. Suspiciously like a chuckle. "Hold on a sec..." He pulled a datapad from somewhere and started tapping it... "_Michelangelos_..." He said in an undertone. He pulled an image up and held the pad out to Jesse who took it. "These?" The pad showed two sticks connected by a chain. Jesse nodded. "The proper term is _nunchaku_, Jesse. Not Michelangelos."

"Nun-cha-ku?" Jesse sounded the word out slowly. "I see." Raven looked at the image and frowned.

"What kind of a weapon is that?" Raven asked, curious. "It doesn't look very dangerous."

"That was the whole point." Draco said with a shrug as he reclaimed the datapad. "Originally, they were improvised from a kind of agricultural tool. A flail. Farmers who were attacked in their fields used them to defend themselves and learned how to use them well. Spies and assassins also used them because they were easy to hide and not the dead giveaway that a sword would be. But they were fast and hard hitting in the hands of a master."

"I only used one at a time." Jesse said weakly. "The image showed one in each hand, but I always hurt myself when I tried to do that."

"I have seen a master do kata with two sets." Draco said with another shrug. "But for actual fighting? One set would probably be best. Even better? We can fabricate something quickly for you to train with and it will help you ease into the changes." He stepped back and Jesse nodded slowly.

"I did... enjoy working out with them." Jesse said with a sigh. "The Clergy encouraged it's members to try new and unusual things. Mine was just a bit more unusual than usual." She paused as Raven chuckled. "Did that make any sense?"

"Some." Raven was chuckling as she started off again. "Come on. Drill starts in twenty minutes and I would like to work on my skana forms."

"Do I have to learn weapons?" Jesse sounded a little plaintive as she followed.

"No." Raven replied. "The exercise does good. But no one will expect you to be able to fight at Tenno levels immediately. This isn't the Old War." Raven said, her tone turning dark. "Thank god..."

"You... were there?" Jesse swallowed as Raven nodded. "I see."

"I do not remember it all." Raven said with a sigh. "Cryo-nesia took its toll. But this is _now_. Not then. We will not make you fight."

"I want to learn." Jesse said firmly. "Even if I do not ever use the skills. I want to learn how to."

"We will ease you into it." Raven said with a nod. "But this is a good place to learn. Good teachers for melee and firearm."

"And abilities." Jesse said with a grimace. "I have lot to learn."

"And you have time." Raven reassured her. "Ah..." She smiled as a door ahead lit up green. "Here we are. Oh... Karl." She smiled as a huge form in robes approached, he nodded to Jesse.

"Cyberlancer Jesse." The voice was the white Rhino Jesse had met before.

"What is the proper honorific?" Jesse asked, bowing slightly.

"We try not to be formal here. There is some formality, mostly to do with safety but we try not to overdo it." Karl replied. "You may call me Karl or Sensei. I may not be teaching you personally, but that is what my clan calls me. You are not obligated in any way."

"I would like to learn what I can." Jesse said firmly and Karl nodded approvingly.

"We would be happy to teach you." The huge Tenno replied. "Anything in particular?"

"I... um..." Jesse straightened a bit. "I was practicing with a set of weapons I found in a historic text, but I have no idea if I was doing it right or not."

"That was _not_ a historic text." Draco said mildly. Jesse and Karl both glanced at him and he shook his head. "She described her weapon and I recognized them. She was practicing with nunchaku."

"_That_ is a term I have not heard in a _long_ time." Karl said, his eyes appraising as they swept over Jesse who flushed a bit. "Effective weapon though. Fast and light."

"And easy to hide." Draco agreed. Karl nodded to him. "Can you fabricate a training set?"

"Easily." Karl replied as he opened the door and entered the room, the others following. Inside, over a dozen Tenno were working out with various weapons. They all paused as the quartet entered, but Karl just waved and they went back to what they were doing. "For right now, we need to see what Jesse can do."

"Not much." Jesse said with a sigh.

"Come on, Jesse." Raven said as she stepped to the edge of the dojo and bowed to the Excalibur warframe that was obviously overseeing everything. "Only one way to find out how you do."

"I just know I am going to _hurt_ when this is over..." Jesse said as she bowed with Raven to the Excalibur who returned it.

"Probably." Raven said with a smile as she entered the dojo proper and led Jesse to one wall where a space had been cleared.

"But I bet you enjoy it."

* * *

**Titan**

"What the hell...?" Nikis shook his head as he stared through the canopy of his Liset at the empty cavern. He hadn't expected _this_. He had expected Caroline and the others to be cagy, unhelpful or just plain uninformative. Not this. Not... them _gone_. The Enclave of the Oracles of Saturn... was gone. "You crazy girl, Caroline. What have you _done?_"

It was a big ocean. He knew that. He had helped survey the place for the initial landing of the Enclave way back when. He shook his head. He had to find them, figure out what was going on. Janet hadn't responded to his last call to her. That... really worried him. She always responded, even if only with a 'Busy now, can't talk', she _always_ responded. But not this time.

He had known that the Enclave was capable of movement. It had once been a spacecraft after all and then converted to an underwater habitat. So it stood to reason. But it hadn't moved in a long, _long_ time. What could possibly have made...

Nikis went still as a light started blinking in the near distance. He stared at it and hten sighed. Someone was either being very careful, or very sneaky. Or both. The light was flashing in short sequences and long sequences. No one he knew of besides the Oracles would know that code. He barely remembered it. But there was one code he was never going to forget. Three short, three long, three short. Morse Code. SOS. A distress call. Nikis sighed.

"This is almost _certainly_ a trap of some kind..." He mused. "But... ah well. Been bored anyway..."

A thought had his converted Liset in motion and it approached the light quickly. It was coming from a wall of rock, but Nikis could see a spot that had been shaped... Like a Liset. The light illuminated an airlock.

"This is way too easy..." Nikis said sourly. "Caroline... what the _hell_ are you playing at?"

The ship's sensors did not detect anything past the wall of rock and Nikis sighed again. If he wasn't mistaken -and he didn't think he was- this part of the cavern had backed up to the mer village. The settlement of aquatic adapted humans who had lived near the Oracles, providing what services they could in return for aid the Oracles could give occasionally. But the settlement had grown up alongside the Enclave and it too was gone.

"They could be on the other side of the planet by now..." Nikis mused as he considered his options.

He shook his head and keyed his ship to match with the airlock. He expected and explosion, some kind of rumble of power, but... nothing. He stepped into his own airlock and cycled to the cavern one. As he exited the cylindrical portion of the ship that provided access to the outside, he had his pistols in hand, but nothing showed. He keyed it to cycle and it did.

He was _not_ expecting what he found. The room was small and it was _packed_. Bodies lay every which way. Merfolk. All slain. He checked, but none of their energy was recoverable. All dead and more than dead. Gone completely.

"What the fuck...?" Nikis said with a grunt as he stalked forward, his pistols at the ready.

"Nikis..." The voice was familiar and Nikis spun to see a form whose eyes were open. She lay in a heap, her head lolling. But she was breathing. She was the _only_ one. It looked like at least two dozen of the adults of the settlement had been herded into this area and slaughtered. The gore was knee deep in places. And the wounds... he knew the weapon that had made the wounds. A scythe called 'Hate'. "Run. Help... Janet..."

"Mira!" Nikis went to his knees beside the mermaid, his hands checking her vitals. She had been cut, but the wounds were disabling. Not mortal. "What the hell?"

"Trap..." Mira begged. "Run... get away. Janet... Needs..." She gasped as Nikis started working. "No... help Janet."

"When did Stalker get here?" Nikis demanded as he worked.

"Just...after they pulled Iriana and Jesse..." Mira gasped and then relaxed as Nikis worked. "We had no idea..." Mira was crying now. "We didn't have a _chance!_"

"What did he do?" Nikis asked as he finished patching her up.

"After... After Caroline showed Jesse the kids... They all got sick..." Mira said weakly. "We thought it was the water in the school. We found... Him. Here. He... killed..." She slumped. "He poisoned the kids... _All_ of them! When we investigated, he killed everyone but me. Left me. A trap."

"The... the kids?" Nikis said softly, disbelieving. "His vendetta is against _Tenno_. No one else. Why would _he_...?" He groaned suddenly. "The Oracles. He is using them to blackmail the Oracles." Mira nodded weakly. "What kind of trap?"

"Some kind of explosives..." Mira said with a sigh. "In the bodies. He put... things in each. He... knew you would come. Please, Nikis. Run..."

"I leave you to die and Janet will never forgive me, Mira." Nikis said heavily. "We will get you out of this."

"_He put one in __**me**__, Nikis!_" Mira screamed. "Whatever it is... it will hurt or _kill_ you! I... You are too important! I... I can't..."

"Crap." Nikis said with a sigh as he looked around. The placement of the bodies hadn't seemed to be random and it wasn't. He could see glows starting to shine now. The traps were live. Anywhere he stepped he would step on a body. If he did... Probably boom. He might be able to survive one blast. More than one? Not likely. It wouldn't stop him. It _would_ disable him for a time. And Mira was badly hurt. Even if she was wrong and there wasn't an explosive charge inside her, any blast would hurt or kill her. "Damn him."

"Mira... I won't say it is gonna be okay, because I don't know for sure." Nikis said as he started to gather power. He would need help and he knew just who to call. "What I _do_ know?"

"I am _now_ _**officially**_ pissed off."


	8. Chapter 8

**Pain**

"You are stalling."

The words were calm, but the tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. It did not help that the red and black armored form was tapping a finger on the clear cover over the pod in which Natalie E-12 lay unconscious.

"We cannot give you what you ask." Caroline said quietly as she worked nearby. "The only one who _might_ be able to find the targets you demand we find is Janet and there is no chance in hell she will help you now."

"I did not harm her daughter." The not-quite-a-Tenno replied evenly. "Iriana did not see me and I did not harm her." Caroline looked at him, her expression clearly disdainful and Stalker sighed. "Have a care, Oracle. You are not immortal in that form."

"Neither are _you_." Caroline retorted. "Nikis _will_ find a way to destroy you. You know that."

"Oracle..." Stalker shook his head. "I am not asking you to fight."

"No." Caroline snapped, her ire rising. "You are _demanding_ we assist in _murder_."

"Justice is not murder, Oracle." Stalker replied evenly.

"You don't know the difference between justice and vengeance." Caroline retorted. "We told you 'No' long ago. So now you blackmail us with the lives of innocents. You kill people -friends- to gain our silence. You force us to betray our sister..." She looked to where Janet lay unconscious and her head bowed. "To _lie_ to protect you from those who hunt you. There _are_ limits, scum. And you are _rapidly_ passing them."

"I defended myself when attacked." Stalker retorted evenly. "If they had listened, none of this would have come to pass."

"Sure." Caroline's words simply dripped sarcasm now. "Poison their kids and that will make them _calm_. Right."

"None of the children are dead, Oracle." Stalker replied. "I needed their attention and yours. I got it."

"Yeah, you did. Kids curling up and starting to _expire_ gets people's attention." Caroline snapped. "And the bombs you planted all over the settlement demand we _keep_ listening."

"I have to protect myself." The red and black armored form said reasonably as he nodded to Natalie E-12's sleeping form. "I used tranquilizers on the attendants. Nothing more."

"More hostages for you to abuse if we cannot produce the impossibility you demand." Caroline retorted. Stalker sighed but she did not relent. "Even if it wasn't against most of our oaths of non-interference... We cannot -not will not, but _cannot_\- do as you demand. All of the cryo chambers are hidden from our sight. _All_ of them."

"So backtrack." The Stalker said with a shrug. "See the traitors before they went into said chambers. Give me references and I will take it from there."

"So you can find sleeping Tenno and _murder_ them in their sleep, guilty of horror or no." Caroline snarled. It was easy to see she was Nikis' sister at times. "Even if we _could_ do it, the answer would _have_ to be 'No'. You know this, why keep deman-..." She broke off and her eyes flicked from the red and black armored from to the pod and back. "No... You didn't..." Stalker did not reply and she backed away from the machinery she had been working on. "You _didn't!_" She hissed in horror. "_She is a child!_" The turtle screamed.

"Not anymore." Stalker replied offhanded.

"You bastard!" Caroline snapped, moving towards the pod. "Not enough to slay merfolk, you have to kill her too?"

"She is not dead." Stalker replied, moving to block her. "Yet."

"What did you do to her?" Caroline demanded, moving past the red and black form. She scrutinized the readouts and froze. "You... you drugged her. With what?"

"Give me the information I need and I will give you the antagonist." Stalker replied. "I know your medic is seeking an antidote for the toxin. He may or may not be able to find it. You will not be able to undo what was done to _her_ without the proper antagonist."

"You lying _scum!_" Caroline screamed. She hit a panel and the pod was suddenly encased in energy. "Get out! Now!"

"If I leave, she becomes a vegetable." Stalker said with a shrug. "And the bombs go off. Is that what you want?" Caroline snarled at him and he shook his head. "Give me what I want, Oracle. Now."

"Even if we _could_..." Caroline lay down on the floor and her legs retracted into her shell. "I wouldn't. Not now. Not with her... in this state. Go ahead. Detonate your bombs." She said wearily. "Let loose your toxins. Kill us all. Go ahead." She said with a sigh as Stalker stared at her. "Do it." She declared. "_Do it!_" She screamed when he did not move.

"The only lives I wish to take are the traitors'. The False Tenno who stole our honor and slew the Emperor." Stalker said after a moment. "I _do_ regret the deaths of the merfolk. If they had let me explain, I wouldn't have killed them."

"Bull." Caroline said with a sigh as she retracted her neck most of the way. "You needed proper bait for your trap for Nikis." Stalker stared at her and she snorted. "Who are you _talking_ to, murderer?"

"If you knew about that..." Stalker had a hand on his scythe handle now. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"I wanted to." Caroline admitted. "I really did. But Mira persuaded me not to." Stalker stared at her and Caroline made a sour noise of humor. "You know? The mermaid Oracle you crippled?"

"You cannot stop me." Stalker said slowly, his scythe in hand now.

"No." Caroline said heavily. "I can't. I swore many binding oaths to follow a non-violent path. Our powers are too...imbalanced. We are too much given to interfere otherwise. We had to hold ourselves apart. We had to remain aloof. We had to stay away from everything. But that means we got very good at interpreting the bits and pieces we managed to glean. Janet has far more power than we do. Her visions are clearer than ours. We cannot see what you desire. She might be able to. But she will not. Not for you."

"And if it is the only way to save this one's life?" Stalker laid a hand on the pod again and energy flared. Natalie E-12 writhed inside the pod, her face twisting into a grimace. Then it went slack. The turtle... closed up and did not respond. He sighed. "Forcing my hand is a bad idea, Oracle."

"And forcing ours is a _worse_ one." Stalker stiffened as Janet...sat up on the bed she had been restrained on. The bonds that had held her fell away along with the circlet around her head. She swung her legs off the bed and stood straight. Then he went completely still as a green glowing dagger appeared in her hand. "_They_ are pacifists, kinslayer. _I_ am _not_." He settled into a combat stance as she took a step towards him.

"There is no need for this, Oracle Janet." Stalker said quietly, his scythe up and ready to block. "This... was not as I planned. I did not intend harm. I came to ask questions, no more." Janet shook her head slowly and settled into a combat stance of her own. "Oracle, you cannot win against me." Stalker warned.

"You might be surprised." Janet said softly as she sidled to the side. "There are all kinds of ways to win."

Stalker kept his scythe between... He jerked as Caroline's head snaked out and clamped around the left foot of his warframe. He swung automatically, the scythe cleaving through the tough shell as if it were made of paper. She screamed once and fell still. But... He pulled, but the scythe was stuck fast and Janet was moving in, the dagger gleaming. The energy in it.. he could _feel_ it's anger. It was sentient, that weapon. And it hungered... for his life.

"Stop!" Stalker commanded as he released the scythe and dropped his hand to his throwing blades. "You do not _understand_! I do not want your lives! She lives yet!"

"No, it is _you_ who does not understand." Janet snapped as Caroline... rose to her feet, the scythe stuck out of her back like a macabre trophy. "If you had come to us as you were instructed, it wouldn't have been a _problem!_" Stalker froze. "You killed those people for _nothing!_"

"They _attacked_ me!" Stalker said as he drew his knives. But... a beam of green energy slammed into him from the side. He dodged but other beams hit him and he staggered as... He slipped and fell, his knives falling from his hands. "What...?"

"_You_ attacked their _children!_ We did not want _this!_ We wanted to _talk_! No more! We are _trying_ to avert an _avalanche! _It is like trying to hold back the tides of the Motherworld with a _spoon_. We needed your _help_. But no..." Janet snapped as she stepped towards him, her dagger ready. "Enough! If you had _bothered_ to act in good faith, we _might_ have actually given you what you wanted. Insane Tenno are good for _nothing_. We _might_ have given them to you. But _no_. You _had_ to be in control. You _had_ to be in _charge_. No longer. Your bombs are deactivated. Your toxin has been neutralized. And now? We have decided. No more. You are _not_ worth the cost."

"What are you talking about?" Stalker demanded. "You... she... what is going on?" He snapped as the pod with Natalie E-12 opened and a large form slid into his view, tentacles slipping under the girl to carry her off.

"If you had _bothered_ to _ask_ that before striking, taking hostages, we would have _told_ you." Janet said, her voice turning sad. "We had no _interest_ in letting Nikis kill you again. It does no good. We know that. _He_ knows that." She shook her head. "But now? You _mindwiped_ my _friend_. For _nothing!_" She screamed as she stepped close, dagger up. Then it came whistling in. "Die!"

A small part of Stalker's mind noted her form was perfect. Then the pain grabbed him and pulled him in.

* * *

Janet was crying as Stalker's still form wavered and vanished in a puff of black smoke. Her dagger, Vita, was crying as well. Vita had liked Natalie E-12 too. The girl they had known and liked...was gone. Her mind had been snuffed out casually by the kinslayer.

"He..." Janet went to her knees beside Caroline. "He just... I... This... it wasn't supposed to be like _this_..."

"Not your fault, Janet." Caroline's voice was low and filled with pain. "Ours. We... did not see. We did not know. We cannot see him either. He... He acted as he always has. He _betrays_."

"What can I do, Caroline?" Janet asked as she laid a hand on the turtle's shell. "How bad?"

"I will live." Caroline said weakly. "But... I won't be mobile for a while. Janet... Nikis is angry. Mira is alive, but he is angry. We... We have to tell him. My... responsibility."

"I am sorry, Caroline." Janet said sadly. "I messed it all up. Hurting myself. It was..." She paused as the turtle extended flipper and nudged her leg. "No... don't move. Wait for Jean. He can help."

"You saw your daughter screaming in pain." Caroline was sad, so sad. "All the rest of it was unclear to you. You reacted as a mother. You wanted to protect your daughter."

"And instead... how many lives were lost?" Janet slumped. "Now Nikis is angry... The others too... We failed, Caroline. We failed."

"No." Carline touched Janet's leg again gently.

"Not yet."

* * *

**The dojo**

Jesse tried not to sigh as the doc worked.

"I told you I was going to hurt." Jesse said in a quiet voice to Raven who stood nearby, her face grave.

"You are very lucky, young lady." The medic named Amelia was gentle, but thorough as she worked to fix the damage. "If that had been a sword or other bladed weapon..."

"I know." Jesse said with a sigh. "And... It did feel good. Up until I lost focus."

"And slammed yourself between the legs." Raven said with a sort of forced mildness. "Be glad you are not a guy."

"Oh, I _am_..." Jesse tried not to squirm as Amelia finished up. She sighed in relief as the pain ebbed but did not go away completely. "Doc?"

"I was going to ask you, Jesse." Amelia said with a smile. "How does it feel to your senses? You know your body best."

"Usually." Jesse grumbled. She glanced over at where Draco lurked by the door. "I assume this is some kind of character building thing? To make me understand my limitations?" Draco gave a shrug.

"You were doing well until you lost focus." Draco's voice was even. "And training weapons are blunt for a _reason_."

"So when a ham handed trainee bashes herself between the legs with one, it doesn't cut her in half." Jesse said with a groan. "The kata...went well?" She asked. Then she snorted. "Until I freaked everyone out that is. Silly, silly... pushed too far, too fast."

"Yes you did, Jesse. As for the kata? As far as I could see, yes. It went well until you lost your grip on the far end of your training nunchaku and they went out of your control. At least you managed to keep from hitting yourself in the _head_. There is always room for improvement." Raven replied and then frowned. "Doctor? How is she?"

"Physically, a bit bruised, but no damage now." Amelia said with a nod. "Jesse? Can you tell?" Jesse focused herself as Trinity had taught her, code soaring along her nervous system.

"Some pain." Jesse corroborated. "But no damage. I shouldn't deaden that pain, should I?" She asked Amelia who shook her head. "Joy." She said with feeling.

"You were med tech trained, Jesse." Amelia replied evenly. "You know why."

"Without the pain, I would do more damage without realizing it." Jesse agreed. "Even with the code augmenting my senses, it isn't perfect. If I do not hurt, my instincts will be to move at full speed and that _will_ hurt me. Maybe badly."

"You will get better." Raven promised her. "Doc...?" She looked at Amelia and the human medical professional nodded.

"Off her feet for a couple of hours should take care of it." Amelia nodded. "She wasn't badly hurt. Just in pain."

"Pain. Such fun..." Jesse said with a sigh. "Can I move?"

"As long as you do not leave the bed, sure." Amelia smiled but then her eyes turned to Raven who nodded a little. "If you feel anything off, let us know. For now? Try not to scare us again." She chided Jesse gently.

"I will try, doc." Jesse said with a sigh as she lay back on the bed. Amelia smiled at her, patted her hand and left the room. Jesse looked at the ceiling for a moment and then sighed. "I wasn't expecting them to have nunchaku set up so quickly. I am far more used to them than blades."

"You are good with them." Raven agreed. "Not a weapon I have ever used, but you knew what to do. Until you lost focus."

"Yeah." Jesse said with a sigh. "I have been trying to figure out _why_ I lost focus. I was doing kata three..." She mused. "Step six, the half twist and cross body strike. I caught the free end and then..." She shook her head. "Either I lost my grip or it slipped or..." She shook her head. "Then I was on the ground clutching my privates and everyone was freaking."

"Your grip was solid." Draco said quietly. "Then it was not. You seemed to stumble." Jesse stared at him and then her eyes closed as she looked inward.

"I can't find anything wrong." Jesse said softly. "Once the doc clears me, I will need to try that again. Slower and with more care." Raven nodded approval. "That kata is not that difficult." Jesse mused, her hands moving as she acted out what she could in the bed. She paused and stared at her left hand. "Um... Raven? Is there anything you can see wrong with my hand?" She held it out to Raven who took it in her own right hand and examined it closely.

"I cannot see anything wrong, Jesse." Raven said after a moment. She laid Jesse's hand back down. "Do you want the doc?"

"I am not sure." Jesse looked at her hand and her expression was speculative. "This is the hand that I lost the grip with. And... it feels... wrong to my senses."

"Wrong?" Raven demanded, her hand halfway to the intercom. "Wrong _how_?"

"I am not sure." Jesse said slowly. "It... It almost feels like part is missing. But..." She shook her head. "Everything is here. Is Olim available?"

"Last I checked, he was pacing, waiting for the doc to finish." Raven said dryly. "Draco?" She asked and the guard nodded. He opened the door and yes, Olim was just outside. Her wore robes instead of his warframe. "Olim. Fancy seeing you here." Raven said brightly. Olim just sighed.

"_One_ heart attack a day is enough, Raven." Olim said with a glower. Jesse smiled at him but then she beckoned him in. "Jesse? You okay?"

"After bashing myself in the crotch with my own nunchaku? Sure." Jesse said with a snort. Olim stared at her and then he matched her snort. "But... I think I have something odd."

"Odd how?" Olim asked, stiffening. She held out her left hand to him and he stepped close to take it.

"This...feels wrong." Jesse said slowly, unsure. Olim turned her hand over, checking it with both touch and code that she could sense. He went still and she did likewise. "It is not my imagination, is it?"

"No." Olim agreed. "It isn't." Both Draco and Raven had stiffened and he nodded. "Jesse? What do you remember? From when you woke before? At the Enclave?"

"Not much." Jesse said after a moment. "I woke. I felt wrong. You think... it was something there?"

"I do not know." Olim said softly. He held her hand gently and rubbed her index finger. It felt... tingly. "What I do know is that you have a tendril of code extending through this finger and it has been severed."

"You lost a piece of your code."


	9. Chapter 9

**Altering Fates**

"What did they do?" Nikis asked quietly as the golden shade he had summoned worked. Mira was staring at the ghostly warframe with a mix of awe and worry. "It's okay, Mira. She won't hurt you."

"You are going to be angry..." Mira said weakly as the golden shade worked. Code was swirling around the trapped bodies that surrounded the corporeal pair.

"Mira, I am _already_ angry." Nikis said with a sigh. "Very angry." Mira wilted and the shade looked from her to Nikis, a clear 'back off' in her body language despite her silence. "How long has Stalker been here?"

"I don't know." Mira said sadly. "We saw... bits. As soon as we all saw what happened to Jesselle... _Jesse_... What made Janet freak so badly..." She corrected herself. "We _all_ started looking harder. But it didn't make any _sense_. We couldn't see who had her. Who was hurting her. It wasn't the Grineer. It wasn't the Corpus. Janet was unconscious and hurt and..." She was crying now. "We had to try _something!_ She is needed! And..." She bowed her head. "We all love her. We didn't want to _lose_ her."

"It is easy to love her." Nikis said softly. Mira nodded. "And love has made people do dumb things since the dawn of recorded human history." He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "Mira, I am not angry with _you_."

"You will be." Mira sounded abject now. "Part of me so wishes you had killed me when Janet woke to her powers. I am not cut out for this." The shade's code was seeping into Mira now. The mermaid hissed and then relaxed. "Janet was dying. Every... possible future we saw where Jesse was not here ended badly.. Janet _died_ despite everything we could do. In _every_ vision."

"So that is why you grabbed Jesse." Nikis growled. "Figured it was something like that. You _do_ know you came within a _hairsbreadth_ of me tearing the Enclave apart, right?"

"Yes." Mira averted her eyes as the shade's insubstantial hand plunged deep into her body. "I..." She gasped. "That... I..."

"Don't struggle." Nikis warned her and she went rigidly still. "She is almost done."

"I am _sorry,_ Nikis." Mira said softly. "I should have said something. Anything. Janet was... She was so sure of what had to be done." Nikis went still.

"Wait..." The pitch black Nekros said slowly. "_What?_ What do you mean 'Janet was'? She was unconscious."

"Her body was." Mira said softly. "Her mind..." Nikis hissed and Mira nodded. "We all wanted to help, but none of us even come close to her power level. What she touched...changed her, Nikis. You know it."

"Yeah." Nikis said quietly. He took Mira's hand as she gasped. "It's okay, Mira. I won't hurt you." He stared as Mira... tried to stifle a _giggle_. "Mira?"

"That... tickles..." Mira said weakly. Then she went still as the shade withdrew her hand. In it, a small object was nestled. Mira's eyes went huge. "That is... the..." She swallowed hard as the Tenno shade laid her other hand on Mira's chest and code seeped through her again. "I..."

"The bomb, yeah. Stay still while she fixes the other damage." Nikis said quietly as the shade shook her head and laid the small inert object down beside the still mermaid. Then the shade rose and started touching each still body in turn. Each faint glow denoting an explosive device faded with her touch. "Mira..." Nikis said quietly. "What did Janet do?"

"She needed help." Mira said heavily. "She needed a transplant of spinal tissue, that was the only thing that would save her. The nerves were dying." Nikis slumped and nodded. "I... It was wrong. What we did. But..." She bowed her head.

"Did Janet know?" Nikis asked. Mira shook her head.

"She was... making out a will..." Mira said weakly and Nikis sighed as he gathered her up in his arms. "I... We couldn't just let her _die_, Nikis! We _couldn't_! We delayed her until Jean was done. She was angry... so angry. But..." She slumped in his arms. "She was also focused on saving Jesse. She is sneaky, that paramour of yours. We didn't even _know_ she had laid some plans until she told us."

"What _kind_ of plans?" Nikis asked as he picked his way through the pile of bodies. The shade finished her word, nodded to him and vanished.

"Jesse needed help." Mira said softly. "We had no idea what the Grineer would do to her. Either time. We knew she would go after the girls who were taken by the Grineer. The visions were... somewhat clear. But none of us expected what happened after that. The telepathy or the rest of it. It wasn't clear to any of us."

"What plans?" Nikis pressed as he approached the airlock to his ship.

"The Corpus and Grineer were not the ones who dragged Jesse down into darkness, screaming." Mira said as Nikis carried her into the airlock. Nikis looked at her and she swallowed hard. "All we could see was Jesse screaming. We needed more information and we could not go to the Tenno."

"Why not?" Nikis asked as he laid her gently on the deck of his ship.

"Nikis..." Mira said softly. "Tenno hide from our sight." Nikis stiffened and then hissed. "Yes. We think a Tenno did what Janet saw happen to her daughter. _Will do_..." She corrected herself grimly.

"None of the Tenno I know would _dare_." Nikis said slowly as he checked her vitals quickly. "Not only is she Janet's kid, but she is a Cyberlancer. She will be heavily protected."

"We know." Mira said sadly." And that is what worries us." She nodded to the cockpit of the tiny ship. "Course... 090. Range... two thousand kilometers." Nikis stared at her and Mira bowed her head. "They... It didn't work as they had hoped. He attacked us."

"They... _brought_... Stalker here?" Nikis asked in total disbelief.

"They invited him." Mira said sadly. "In my visions, I could see he would react badly to armed beings finding him in the cavern. I had hoped... to stop it..." She was crying now. "I failed."

"What did he do, Mira?" The Nekros at down beside her, taking her hand in his.

"We just wanted to _talk!_" Mira was crying hard now. "He didn't have to kill them! He didn't have to poison the kids!"

"He wasn't going to trust, girl." Nikis said sadly as he held her hand. "I could have told you that. What did he want?"

"Locations of specific cryopods." Mira said softly and Nikis stiffened. "The fugitive Tenno who escaped the massacre where the Emperor died."

"You could... do that?" Nikis asked, awed. "See that?"

"Not me." Mira slumped a bit, wiping her face with her free hand. "Janet with the rest of us helping. But... he didn't want to talk. He wanted the information, not a discussion. He poisoned the kids just after you and Jesse were shown them."

"So Caroline _was_ protecting the kids..." Nikis mused and Mira nodded.

"She didn't know what he would do, Nikis..." Mira said quickly. "None of us knew. He... We expected him to act as Tenno. Silly that. He isn't."

"No." Nikis said as he rose and moved toward the cockpit. "No, he is not."

"It was odd..." Mira said and Nikis paused. "He made it so you and Iriana would snatch Jesse and get her clear as quickly as possible. I do not know why."

"Whatever it is, we won't like it." Nikis groused as he set a course. "Rest, girl. I will get you to the others. They will help you."

"Then Caroline, Janet and I will have a _long_ talk..."

* * *

**Worry**

"I do not understand." Jesse said as she focused on her hand. "What can whoever it was do with a fragment of my code?"

"Jesse, do you know where the code comes from?" Olim asked quietly. Jesse stared at him, uncomprehending and the master Cyberlancer sighed. "Come on, girl. I know Trinity taught you."

"It comes from inside us." Jesse said as she made code swirl around her hand. It... did not come from her index finger and she sighed as she made the code vanish. "So... I take bits of my inner energy to make it?"

"Yes." Olim nodded. "There is a long winded physics explanation. Takes about two hours and involves a bunch of high level math." Jesse nodded. "Trinity showed you?"

"She..._told_ me about it..." Jesse said slowly. "We didn't have a lot of time for theory, even in the virtual world. There was just so much to learn." She slumped a bit. "I was never so happy in my life. Odd that."

"You had someone with you who was willing, able... hell _eager_.. to share arcane knowledge with no restrictions, no limitations." Olim said with a smile. "Don't blame you."

Jesse smiled at that, but it was hard to be cheerful. She was lying on a couch that -while comfortable and formfitting- had a number of devices arrayed around it. She wasn't restrained, they were all scanners of some kind. The problem was that she wore what amounted to an archaic two pierce swimsuit that left very little to the imagination. The idea was to allow full access to her body for the scans. And if anything did happen... With so many scanners trained on her, she _could_ be restrained easily despite her code.

"So a piece of my..." Jesse shook her head. "I do not want to say 'soul' but it seems to fit the best..." Olim nodded to her and she continued. "...is in the hands of whoever hurt me in the Enclave."

"Yes." Olim agreed as code flowed around her. His own code was... beautiful to Jesse's sight. It flowed like water, never stopping.

"But... what can someone do with a fragment?" Jesse asked after a moment. "I mean... Trinity said small bits wouldn't let anyone control me."

"Control you, no." Olim said with a sigh. "Track you? Listen in? Use you as a homing device for a teleport?" Jesse stiffened and the master Cyberlancer nodded. "While I am here, I can ward you. But I can't stay forever. We need to get that fragment back."

"Which means... I need to track it." Jesse nodded soberly. "Set a trap?"

"We don't want to do that, Jesse." Olim said with a frown. "You are very vulnerable, both physically and mentally. Until your mental shields are perfected, you will be vulnerable to mental attacks. Your code adds another layer, but you still need the base shields solid." He knelt beside her couch. "So... again."

"Yes sir." Jesse said quietly as she focused her mind. It came easier now. As with any skill, it became easier with practice. The temptation to use her code was strong, but she fought it. She had to be able to do this without the code.

She focused her mind and erected a wall of shimmering red light in her mind's eye. It surrounded her, suffused her. But that was merely the first step. Other colors sprang into being as she erected more walls. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo. Violet. The basic colors came easily now. But there were more shades than she had ever known as a human. And some shades that had no visual component. It seemed to take hours, but was in reality only milliseconds before Jesse sat inside a scintillating bubble of energy. It looked white to her mind. All colors. She opened her eyes and Olim was watching her.

"Hold it." Olim said quietly and Jesse braced herself as Trinity had taught her.

Moments later a spike of pure power drove into her mind. She did not even try to fight it head on. There was no way. But... she did not have to. She twisted aside in a way that she knew she would never be able to describe to anyone in words. The power skittered off her shields, flowing past her. But then it hit again. And again. The white barrier... started to fray. Jesse did not panic, she focused on shoring it up but it was a losing battle. Eventually, it breached and power tore in and... slammed into the second set of barriers that Jesse had set up.

"Good girl..." Olim said with approval as he focused on driving his mind through her second set of defenses. These were not as strong as her primary barriers and in moments, they shattered and Jesse let out a sob as his powerful mind took hold of hers. But... he was gentle. A caress soothed the pain of the breaking away from her mind and then he retreated.

"Again." Jesse said as she focused on rebuilding the barriers. Olim sighed as he looked at her. "Again!" She demanded.

"No. You are not going to get this in a _day_, Jesse." Olim rose and took her hand in his. "You are not."

"But..." Jesse felt her hand quiver in his. Doing this took up a lot of her energy.

"Jesse." Olim said sternly. "Listen to me. You have the basics down. You need _practice_. That cannot be taught. You have to _do_ it." He gave her hand a squeeze. "You will do it, but not today. Eventually, you will be able to raise barriers at will, as many as you need. Your code adds far more strength to your existing barriers." Jesse nodded and relaxed a bit.

"Unless of course someone has a piece of my code..." Jesse said quietly. "Then he or she has a wide open path directly into my mind."

"They won't be able to control you." Olim agreed. "But they can do other things. So... eat, drink and rest."

"You think they will try, don't you?" Jesse asked as he released her hand and she moved to take the juice container that lay on a tray by the couch. Her hand shook as she lifted it and drank slowly. A covered platter lay next to it. Her meal. "When I sleep?"

"_I_ would." Olim said softly. Jesse stiffened and then nodded. "We will be ready, Jesse. For now, you stay on the couch. We can shield you there and if you do get... contacted or whatever... we can trace."

"And if whoever it was is listening right now?" Jesse asked as she opened the platter and smiled a bit sadly at the fine meal that had been set up for her. "I wish they wouldn't pamper me." Jesse complained as she started to eat.

"They are not." Olim replied. "You are hurt, if not in any way that can be bandaged or healed in any normal fashion. You are hurt, stressed and immobile for the moment." He shrugged. "They would do that for any hurt sister." Jesse smiled a little forlornly and focused on eating.

She was just finishing up the final bits when...something jerked her. She dropped her fork, staring at Olim who nodded. She lay back on the couch. She did not resist as... things enveloped her, both metal and energy. She gasped as tubes went into parts of her body, but that was mere precaution. No one knew how long she would have to spend on the couch and no one wanted her dehydrated or sitting in her own wastes. She closed her eyes.

"I... am afraid..." Jesse admitted in a tiny voice. Olim's hand found hers and gave a squeeze.

"I know." Olim said quietly. "Be strong, sister. You are not alone."

The next jerk tore Jesse's mind from her body.

* * *

This time, she was aware of the transit. She was aware of golden energy all around her. A tunnel of sorts. She closed her mind up behind as many barriers as she could create and rode the energy as it dragged her along. She landed on something...soft and warm.

"There is no need for that, girl." The voice...was not what Jesse had expected. She cracked her eyes and went still. It was not _who_ she had expected. The Trinity warframe that stood nearby was red. "I won't hurt you."

"Who..." Jesse snarled at herself and closed her mind up tighter.

"I am not going to hurt you, child." The Trinity said gently as she sat by the bed Jesse was lying on. "I nearly had him. But he _had_ to push the Oracles too far. Idiot." Jesse did not respond and the Trinity sighed. "Let's... start over shall we? My name is Mei. Yours is Jesse."

Something warm was wrapping around Jesse now. It was wrapping around her _mind_. It was coiling, but... gentle. Jesse felt her barriers stiffen as the energy surrounding them started to constrict.

"There is no need for this, girl." The other said sadly. "I did not intend harm to any except the kinslayer. He has earned my wrath many times over." She took Jesse's left hand in both of her own. "Easy... let me return what I took. I did so wrongly." One hand cupped and something familiar appeared on it. Jesse did not relax, did not allow the code that she saw skitter from the Trinity's hand towards her own to enter. It flew about, stymied as it hit her barriers and could not gain entry. "Ah, girl..." The Trinity sighed. "I do not want to hurt you." The hand that was not holding the code fragment came up to trace Jesse's cheek. "So young. So pretty. So innocent." She paused. "No... not innocent. What did they _do_ to you, girl?" The Trinity sounded in tears. Jesse jerked her cheek away from the warframe's touch and the Trinity sighed.

"All right." The one who called herself Mei said sadly. "I will not hurt you." She promised. "They cannot trace me and I will _not_ hurt you." Her hands... moved. Now they were... touching Jesse in places... Nothing erotic. Nothing bad. Just... Jesse...felt... Jesse snarled and built more barriers as the coils around her mind constricted again.

"It is all right, girl." Mei said sadly as she gently brushed Jesse's hair.

"It is going to be all right."


	10. Chapter 10

**Possibilities**

Jesse's resolve was crumbling. Both from the increasing pressure on her mind and from Mei's increasingly impassioned pleas.

"Please." Mei begged as the power broke yet another barrier in Jesse's mind and hit one behind it. Jesse had lost count she had erected. Fifteen? Sixteen? More? She didn't know. Nothing hurt. Indeed, the warmth that surrounded Jesse felt kind and gentle. But she could not trust that. She could not. Mei was crying as she held Jesse. "Jesse, _please_! Just let me give it _back_! Then I will _leave_ and you will _never_ see me again. I swear it!"

"Can't... trust..." Jesse grated out through clenched teeth.

"I..." Mei slumped and the power that was constricting around Jesse... faded. "I know. Oh, dear god I know..." She was sobbing as she held Jesse who did not dare move for fear of cracking her barriers. "I have fallen so far. I have lost so much. I have done... so many awful things. But I draw the line here!" She snapped. "I will _not_ hurt you!"

"L...liar..." Jesse snarled out as she erected yet another barrier.

"I am not lying to you, Jesse." Mei said softly. "And I will prove it." She retreated to the edge of the bed and sighed. "I surrender." Jesse was shocked almost into dropping the line of code she was working on. Almost. She looked to the side and spoke evenly. "You trained her well."

"_I_ did not." Olim stepped out of the wall, his Frost Prime warframe lined with golden code, golden mace in hand. It was held ready and Mei sighed as she knelt. "I merely added polish."

"I see. So... this was all to track me." The red Trinity shook her head. "Cyberlancer Jesse. Do with me as you will. I was trying to return what I took." Mei said sadly. "No more."

"Master..." Jesse said softly as she raised a hand. Instead of answering her unspoken query, a line of code flew from Olim's hand to touch her. It was him. There was simply no way anyone could _fake_ such. Jesse relaxed, but not fully. She rose from the bed, a golden set of nunchaku appearing in her hand. She nodded to the elder Cyberlancer. "She surrendered."

"Well... Okay." Olim nodded to the Trinity. "Why?" He demanded as he stepped closer. Jesse moved to stand beside him, a step back and to the side as was proper. "Why do this to Jesse?"

"If the Oracles had done the faked brainwashing, it would have been immediately obvious that it was superficial. They really take their vows of non-violence seriously. All but Janet who would _never_ hurt Jesse if she had any choice at all." Mei said in a monotone. "If Stalker had done it, Jesse would have resisted and he lacks the patience to do it gently. It would have likely killed her." Jesse stared at the Trinity and Mei nodded. "As bad as what I did was... Stalker thought the Oracles did it and _they_ thought _he_ had done it. The Oracles were too busy talking around the truth and Stalker was too busy _threatening_ them to think clearly." She shrugged. "I did _not_ want to hurt you. I tried so hard not to hurt you. As bad as I am... I have limits. I am _not_ a kinslayer."

"Who are you?" Olim demanded severely. "There is no Mei matching your description in the databanks."

"I cannot say." Mei said quietly. "Do with me what you will. I did not wish to harm Jesse." She shook her head. "The offer was good... but..." She shrugged. "I have limits."

"Offer?" Olim and Jesse both exclaimed. Jesse froze. Olim smothered a chuckle and waved for her to relax. He spoke again, his tone moderating. "_Whose_ offer?"

"Mine." Olim and Jesse both went still as Janet appeared in the virtual room. "Mei was and _is_ a lost soul. She wouldn't hurt you, Jesse. And she can be very discrete."

"Mom?" Jesse said, stunned. Then her face hardened. "Code." She demanded. Janet smiled and spoke a codeword that she had trained her children with in case of imposters pretending to be her. Jesse jerked and then relaxed. "What the hell?" Jesse demanded.

"When you started your adventures, Jesse..." Janet said quietly. "I had a horrible vision. Of you being dragged into darkness screaming." Jesse nodded, she knew that. "I hurt myself and my body was put to sleep. But my mind...wandered. Through space and time, my mind wandered. I could never see what happened to you. Or who did it to you. But I saw a lot of other things." Her virtual form stepped up to Mei and laid a hand on the kneeling Tenno's head. "Mei...not your fault."

"I almost had him, Oracle." Mei said in a monotone. "If he had been just a few more minutes... I _would_ have had him."

"You are hunting Stalker..." Olim said slowly. Mei nodded. "Why?"

"Because he is hunting me." Mei replied softly. Olim and Jesse both froze. "I can't...quite remember all of the reasons why. But he has hunted me through the ages. I have killed him a few times, he has killed me a few times. It doesn't last. We had to get you clear before we tried to grab his energy, Jesse. We _had_ to." Mei said softly. "If you had been there... vulnerable... it would have pulled you in."

"Wait..." Olim raised a hand. "You are working _with_ her..." He nodded to Janet who nodded back. "And... you were trying to _trap_ Stalker?" Janet nodded again.

"He is one of the few I know of who could -and _would_\- do what I saw happen to Jesse." Janet slumped a bit. "I couldn't see him any more than I can see most Tenno in my visions. They are not clear when I or my loved ones am personally involved. Not without help I am denied anyway."

"I don't want him trapped..." Mei's tone was savage. "I want him _gone_. I didn't _do_ it! And he blames me anyway!"

"Do what?" Olim asked, his tone speculative.

"Olim..." Janet frowned. "You do not want an answer for that." Olim stared at her and she shook her head ."You do not." This was not Jesse's mom speaking. This was the Oracle.

"Oracle..." Olim sighed deeply and holstered his mace. "Is Jesse in danger now?"

"Not from Mei or the Oracles." Janet said quietly. "Stalker may or may not come after her. The visions are divided evenly on that. If so..." She snorted. "I bet Karl and company will argue with him a bit." Mei jerked at the name 'Karl', Jesse noted. A glance at Olim showed he has seen it too. "Mei..." Her voice was gentle now as she move her hand to the Trinity's shoulder. "Now is as good a time as any."

"I am scared, Oracle Janet." Mei said softly. "I was... it was... So long ago. We were different people." Olim looked at Jesse who shrugged. She had no idea.

"Mom...?" Jesse said slowly. "What...?"

"Something long overdue." Janet said with a sad smile. "Karl sent a team of his people to the coordinates you traced?" She asked Olim who nodded. "You both need to be awake when they return with Mei."

"Why?" Olim asked, his tone cautious.

"To save her life."

* * *

Jesse woke on the couch. Olim had hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze as the restraints unlocked. The tubes had already retracted.

"Do you have any idea why he would kill her?" Jesse asked quietly as she sat up. Janet had vanished after her cryptic pronouncement and Mei hadn't provided any further information. Indeed, it seemed as if the Tenno woman had shut down completely. Or was resigned to her fate.

"I have...suspicions." Olim replied as he held out a hand to help her rise. She took it. Her legs were wobbling. "We better get this done quick. You need real rest."

"That was very draining." Jesse agreed with a sigh. "Serene did this for months... me? I couldn't even do it for _hours_."

"Serene was fully trained, very experienced and very good at what she did." Olim countered easily as he led her from the room. "Not to mention _scary_ as hell."

"Yeah, I got that." Jesse said with a smile as her gait smoothed and Olim released her. She gave herself a shake and followed as he started off. Raven came out of a small room nearby and joined them. "Raven." Jesse acknowledged her mentor.

"Trace was successful." Raven said without preamble. "A ship was detected and Karl sent a team to 'acquire' whoever is inside."

"She will surrender without a fight." Jesse said calmly. Raven looked at her funny and Jesse nodded. "Things got...a little weird."

"A 'little'?" Raven asked with a scowl as Olim covered up a laugh with an unconvincing cough. Raven looked at the Frost Prime and he shrugged. Raven shook her head. "You okay, Jesse?"

"Tired. Confused." Jesse said with a sigh. "Things... are very confusing right now. But Olim and I need to be there when she is brought in."

"She." Raven said slowly. "You... know who it is."

"Sort of." Jesse replied, her face twisting into a grimace. "It was very odd. She wasn't hurting me. I got the feeling she _could_ have. But she chose not to."

"Jesse..." Raven groaned. "She _did_ hurt you. She tried to _brainwash_ you."

"No, she didn't." Jesse countered. "She faked it to get me out of the Enclave." Raven stopped in mid-step and stared at her. "How would everyone react?" Jesse asked reasonably. "If I was hurt?"

"Like they did." Raven mused, looking at Olim who nodded.

"We need more information." Olim said with a sigh. "And right now, the only source is the woman we talked to in Jesse's mind. She called herself Mei, but Riana cannot find any data on a Tenno named Mei who wears a Trinity warframe."

"No one I know." Raven said after a moment. "Jesse?"

"She was working for mom." Jesse said quietly and Raven shook her head, dumbfounded. "Trying to keep whatever Mom saw from happening. I do not know where Mom found her, but she acted... scared when she heard Karl's name."

"Scared I can understand." Raven winced dramatically. "He is not happy at the moment. Draco is not helping matters." Jesse shook her head.

"I better... tell him myself." Jesse said with a wince of her own. Raven smiled at her and nodded.

"He did not like being barred from the room." Raven replied. Jesse slumped and Raven smiled again. "He understood, mind you. But he did not like it."

"I am betting he did not go far." Jesse said with a gulp. Raven shook her head and inclined it to one side. Sure enough, a door was open and a shadow slid out of it. "Draco. I am all right." Jesse said as the shadow stepped up to her, scrutinizing her closely. "I am all right." She repeated.

"I know that Olim is the grandmaster." Draco said with a growl. "And I know I would not have been any help. But I did not like it. _Do_ not like it. You are my responsibility, Jesse."

"I know that." Jesse dared greatly and held out a hand to him. He did not move and she laid it where an arm would be on a human. She felt bio-armor under her fingers and she gave it a squeeze. "You... surprised me." She admitted as she retracted her hand. "I expected you to argue more."

"Wouldn't have done any good. What did you find out?" Draco asked.

"Mom either hired or got the services of a Tenno some other way. She did it to help her figure out what she had seen." Jesse said quietly. "The Tenno's name is Mei and she wears a Trinity warframe. She is the one who faked my brainwashing in the Enclave. To get you all to evacuate me quickly. Mom knew that Stalker was coming. They were trying to trap him. It didn't work as they had planned." Draco grunted and Jesse continued. "Mom thought that Stalker was a high probability of whoever it was who was going to hurt me."

"Definitely a strong possibility." Draco mused. "Nikis said he is a kinslayer." Disgust warred with hate in the depths of his tone.

"He is." Olim snapped, his own tone angry. "He is also a _coward_. I have fought him a few times and he flees."

"Begging your pardon, Grandmaster..." Draco said with a small laugh. "_I_ don't want to fight you either. You _cheat_."

"Well, duh." Olim said with a laugh that Jesse and Raven shared. "If you are not cheating, you are not trying hard enough." Draco chuckled at that too. "Anyway... the woman surrendered to Jesse."

"To Jesse?" Draco said, his tone confused. "No offense intended... but... Why to _you_?" He asked Jesse who shook her head.

"I am not sure." Jesse admitted. "She didn't hurt me. I got the feeling she _could_ have. That she could have blown through my barriers if she had been willing to hurt me. She wasn't."

"Jesse..." Olim said with a sigh.

"I know it could be a trick." Jesse agreed. "But... she was crying, Olim. She was _begging_ me to take the code back. Not to make _her_ hurt me."

"The code fragment." Draco said quietly. "You have it?" Olim nodded. "Has it been altered?"

"Not sure. I will need time to check and no..." Olim said to Jesse who has stiffened. "You do _not_ touch it until I am sure. That may take days." Jesse nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly.

"Better safe than sorry." Jesse said with a sigh. "I have had _enough_ people mess with my head already, thank you very much." The sheer weariness in her voice had all three of the others nodding. She yawned and shook her head.

"You need rest, Jesse." Raven said quietly. "Real rest."

"Yes." Jesse fought another yawn and smiled a bit grimly. "But there is something I -we-..." She nodded to Olim who returned it. "...need to do first."

"Jesse..." Raven frowned.

"Raven." Jesse said quietly. "Mom asked me to make sure Karl did not kill Mei."

"_What?_" Raven demanded. "I get that she was involved. That she _is_ involved in you being hurt. That she pulled your mind to her and talked to you. But... Why would he _kill_ her?"

"I don't know."Jesse said. She looked at Olim who shook his head and then she looked at Draco. "Draco?"

"What little I know about Karl says that he is a Tenno of honor." Draco said slowly. "He wouldn't kill someone without cause."

"So... he must have cause." Jesse said for everyone. "Or mom thinks he has cause. Or she thinks he will think he has cause.. Or..." She shook her head. "This is getting confusing." She smiled, but Raven was frowning. "Raven?"

"There is only one type of Tenno that Karl would kill without hesitation." Raven said slowly. Olim stiffened and Raven nodded. "A renegade."

"But all of the renegades are dead." Olim protested. "I _saw_ him kill Nicholas." The Cyberlancer winced. "Not... my best day." He shook his head. "All of them are dead except Lis and Luc. Lis is no longer renegade. She redeemed herself and she will be in the ICU for some time. Luc... is resisting rehabilitation. He will be... a prisoner for a while." Olim sounded sad. "Probably a _long_ while."

"Were there other renegades?" Jesse asked.

"There were... opposition groups." Raven said with a gulp. "Political groups who disagreed with the policies of the Orokin. I was in one of them. We were loyal, but we did not agree with all of what they did. We were not large, but we had a loud voice."

"There is a great deal of difference between an opposition party member and a _renegade_, Raven." Olim said with sigh. "_You_ never slaughtered humans because you _could_."

"No, we never did that." Raven agreed. "We made noise. Made a mess occasionally, but no violence."

"Okay." Jesse said with a gulp. "So... Karl probably knows this Mei person. We need to be there. Where are they bringing her in?" She looked at Draco who shrugged.

"I do not see how it is our problem." Draco was not arguing, more curious.

"Mom doesn't generally do things without reason." Jesse said quietly. "And she asked me to keep Mei alive. So..." She shook her head. " I want no conflict with Karl. So we need to talk to him." Draco gave a heaving sigh and then nodded. Jesse smiled but then froze as he held something out to her.

"The clan leader offered these." Draco said quietly. "I argued, but he said you should have the chance to see them." Jesse stared at the two sticks in his hand. They were short and made of metal. She reached out to take them and her breath left her body in a whoosh as she saw they were joined by a chain. And what a chain... A _grandmaster_ had made these.

"This is..." Jesse swallowed hard. "I..." She held the nunchaku out in a ready stance and they felt natural in her hands. "I am honored, but... I shouldn't until I am cleared by Olim and the docs." She held the weapon back out to Draco but he shook his head.

"Keep them." Draco said with a grunt. "We hope you won't need them."

Jesse did not argue as he started off. She, Olim and Raven followed. Jesse could not figure out how to sheathe them until Raven patted her hips. Jesse laid the sticks to her side and her eyes went huge as they stuck there. Quick to her hands if needed but out of the way.

Draco led them into an elevator and remained silent as it rose. It opened to a larger room where Karl stood, a silent white statue.

"Karl Sensei..." Jesse bowed formally and touched the nunchaku. "These... I am not worthy of them."

"You will be." Karl said with a smile in his voice that faded. "You need to be here." It wasn't a question.

"You heard." Jesse said quietly and then kicked herself mentally. Of course he had access to the surveillance feeds.

"I do not kill without cause, Jesse." Karl said with a sigh. "If your mom thinks I have cause, then..."

He went still as a door nearby opened. An Excalibur Prime and a Saryn were escorting a female Tenno who wore no warframe into the room. Her hands were bound. Everything stopped as Karl's Hek simply _appeared_ in his hands. The Rhino's voice... was a terrible thing.

_**"You!"**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Blast from the past**

Jesse did not even think. She moved. Olim moved with her. Before Karl even had his Hek fully aimed, Jesse was between him and Mei who hadn't moved even as the Excalibur Prime and Saryn had both ducked and rolled out of Karl's line of fire.

"You do not want to do that, Karl Sensei." Jesse wondered who had spoken. The voice was calm and matter of fact. It was female and... She went still. _She_ had spoken. "At least not until we have the answers we need."

"Jesse. Move." Karl snapped, not lowering his weapon. Draco moved to stand in front of Jesse, but... he had no weapons in hand. "Draco. Move her."

"I am sorry." Mei said as she knelt. "Please move, Jesse. I...can't see you hurt. Not after all of this."

"Not until we have answers, Mei!" Jesse retorted, her voice far more relaxed than she felt. Code wouldn't help her here. This was real, not virtual. If Karl fired, the shot would likely tear through her if Draco did not block it all.

"Her name is _Mia._" Karl made noise akin to a stepped on badger. "And she is a _murderer_." At that, everything stopped. Olim shook his head, but he did move to stand by Jesse. "Move!" Karl snapped.

"Karl." Jesse said quietly. "Wait." She turned to the kneeling woman. "_Is_ that your name?"

"No." Mei replied. "I... This body was hers. But they told me you killed her, Karl." At that, everything went still. "I can't remember what happened. What did she _do?_" Jesse stared at her and then at Olim whose posture was as confused as she felt. "Karl, please..." She begged. "I was waiting... They... It hurt. I was... She was angry and I tried to get her to calm down. She... She did something and I was... somewhere else."

Karl staggered as if he had been struck and his shotgun slowly lowered. But it wasn't as if he were doing it. It was almost as if he had forgotten it.

"Mei...?" Jesse asked softly. "What happened?"

"I woke in an automated clinic!" The kneeling Tenno was all but crying. "It was all strange. I didn't understand. I couldn't remember what happened. After... I got loose... I went to the Elders again and it had been a _decade_! Karl! What _happened_?" She was crying now. "What did Mia _do_ to me?"

"This isn't _possible_..." Karl said savagely, his shotgun coming back up. "It _isn't_!"

"Karl..." An utterly unexpected voice had all eyes turning to the airlock where Nikis strode in. He wasn't alone. Janet was beside him -holographic- and... Elder Mavri from the colony. Nikis' voice, for once, was not angry. It was not sarcastic, or bitter. It was sad. "Don't. If you shoot, you _will_ regret it."

"Nikis, it is _Mia!_" Karl roared. "She _killed_ Cora! She tried to kill _me_!" Mei gasped loudly in the sudden silence that followed his shout and everyone looked at her.

"She... Mia _killed_ me...?" Mei swallowed hard, tears falling. "I... I was trying to get away, but... She _killed_ me?" She begged, her voice tiny. "I didn't think she _would_. She was always volatile, but... we were _sisters_..." She bowed her head and tears were falling like rain. "Let him do it." She said to Jesse, Olim and Draco. "I... died a long time ago."

"Mei." Janet said softly. "Face it." Mei jerked but did not raise her head. "You are strong, girl. Face it."

"Her _name_ is-" Karl choked off as Jesse turned, knelt and embraced Mei. "Jesse..."

"What do you remember?" Jesse asked Mei, holding the woman as she cried. "You could have hurt me. You didn't."

"I have... had to kill... I never liked it!" Mei said, not daring to move as Jesse held her. "I do not remember it all." She slumped a bit. "I was... I was cold. It was dark." Jesse just held her. "I woke. I was in a pod of some kind. There were... things... doing things to me... I fought. They broke..."

"Oh Mei..." Jesse hugged her tight and Mei slowly returned the embrace. But only for a moment, then her hands fell to her sides again.

"I screamed and fought and broke loose. It... took a while." Mei said sadly. "I managed... to get out of that horrible place. I was... running..." She slumped. "The guards did not appreciate seeing me running around hysterical."

"It didn't help that you were not wearing anything and were _bleeding_, Mei." Mavri said heavily. Karl stared at him and Mavri nodded. "I didn't know. Not until a couple of hours ago when Nikis and Janet contacted me. I looked up some records. She was found in the city where Cora...was killed. Nine years after. Naked. Incoherent. Bleeding. They stunned her, took her to the hospital and got her treated. And as soon as the docs did a DNA scan..." He broke off as Karl inhaled sharply.

"They freaked." Janet said softly. "They took her to the Elders and she did not resist after she woke in custody." She shook her head. "They did a full scan, Karl. She _never_ resisted."

"And you...saw this..." Karl said slowly. Janet nodded. "So..."

"The authorities of the time found the clinic." Mavri said quietly as Mei sobbed. "It was...a horror. The bodies of the renegades you had killed vanished from the morgue. Cora's as well. With all of the other insanity going on, no one reported it to you."

"I would not have reacted well." Karl said slowly, finally lowering his shotgun completely. "What did Nicholas do to her?" Mei shook her head savagely and Jesse hugged her again.

"Please..." Mei begged. She subsided as Jesse held her.

"You were careful when you killed the renegades, Karl." Nikis said quietly. "They went to the database where they are _not_ enjoying their punishments. _They_ were _not_ so careful with Cora." Again, Karl staggered as if struck and Nikis nodded. "She woke, confused. In someone _else's_ body."

"Oh my _god_..." The Saryn whispered, horrified.

"It gets worse." Janet said softly. Everyone stared at her except Mei and Jesse. Mei was sobbing and Jesse was holding her, murmuring soft words to console. "What was Nicholas planning to do to Lis, Karl?" Karl went still and Janet pressed. "I couldn't do anything but _watch_ when she woke. With... the machinery... changing her... inside... She woke being changed and was sedated. Each time she woke, she was awake and aware long enough to start to struggle and then she was sedated again. No painkillers. Just sedatives. Every so often, her body would fail and the machinery revived her. Harshly. Then it ran out of sedatives. He never came back to check on her. I bet he thought it had failed, been discovered. Something."

"Though my pain and fear, I heard a female voice." Mei said in a monotone. "She told me to be strong. She told me to fight. I did." She smiled a bit forlornly at Janet who matched it. "I didn't know who she was until I was contacted by Oracle Janet a few weeks ago. She aided me. I swore to aid her even before she made me an offer."

"I didn't think you could do that." Karl's slow words were directed at Janet who nodded. "Talk to people in your visions."

"Ordinarily I cannot. She was stuck between life and death." Janet said as she stepped to where Mei knelt and went to her knees beside the crying woman. She could not touch Mei as a hologram, but she could offer support. "The normal rules did not apply. I... watched her...after. Things were... complicated for her."

"Why didn't they tell me?" Karl asked Mavri who sighed.

"I don't really know. None of the records I managed to get say it specifically." Mavri said heavily. "But in my opinion? They _had_ her. She was in prison. And from every scan, she _wasn't_ a renegade. She cooperated. Every test. Every trial. Every ritual. She did them without hesitation. Every result was the same. She is not Mia."

"Nor am I Cora." Mei said sadly. "I remember...being her. But I am not her. Not completely. He... broke me. Remade me. I changed my name." She sighed. "During the War, every Tenno was needed, so I went into battle. I healed... but..." She shook her head. "I cannot forget. I cannot forgive."

"I failed you..." Karl said softly. Mei froze and her head shot up. "I promised you protection and I failed."

"Not your fault." Mei said sternly. "_Nicholas_ was to blame. _He_ is the one I blame. Not you. _Never_ you. You did as you should. Me? I tried to walk both lines. I did not want to betray the clan, but I also tried to be true to the Code. It wasn't going to happen. I tried to get the three who kidnapped me to see what they were doing was wrong. They hurt me... Mia hurt me." She said sadly. "I remember that. I... tried to run... Then I woke in the clinic." She looked at Janet. "You let me believe I had just been _hurt_. Not _killed_."

"You had enough problems." Janet said quietly. Mei smiled a little at that.

"Yeah, I guess I did at that." Mei replied softly. "My life... is yours, Tenno Karl." She rose, stepping out of Jesse's frantic grab easily. She stepped around Draco who grabbed Jesse as the girl tried to move to Mei's side.

"Let go!" Jesse said fiercely, but Draco might have been a rock for all the give he showed.

"Tenno Jesse..." Mei said softly as she knelt. "What must be, must be. I was renegade. I followed Nicholas until he told me what he was going to do. What he wanted me to do." She shook her head. "I ran. I broke my oath to my clan leader."

"Who broke with the _Code_." Karl said mildly. "Tenno serve, we do not rule." Mei nodded and bowed her head."And you came when I called. It cost you your life."

"You have carried that burden since that day, have you not?" Mei asked quietly. Karl nodded. "Then we _both_ need closure."

"Elder?" Karl asked Mavri who sighed.

"I wouldn't know where to begin, Karl." Mavri said quietly. "The records were sealed. Many were lost. But this I do know. Mia of Nicholas' clan died to your sword. This is not her." He said with a shrug. "Your business. Not ours." He turned and left the room. Karl stared after him and then sighed deeply.

"I..." Karl shook his head as he turned back to where Mei knelt. "I see your face and I see her as she came at me with a dagger." Karl said quietly.

"I am sorry." Mei said softly. "I never... I didn't expect to survive the War, let alone until now. I was... alone."

"And if you had sought me out... your face would have made me react as I did just now." Karl gave himself a shake. "What do you want... Mei?" He said her name carefully.

"I... I don't know." Mei admitted. "For so long, I lived in fear. Of you. Of my past. Of my memories that I lost. If... you will not kill me...?" Karl shook his head and she continued. "I do not know." She looked at Janet who shook her head as well.

"I am too close now, Mei." Janet said with a smile. "It is all fuzzy."

"Then..." Mei swallowed hard. "I need to find and stop Stalker. After that... I will look to the future."

"Why?" Karl asked as Jesse pulled her arm from Draco's grip. He did not try to hold her. "Why must you stop him?"

"I do not remember all of what happened." Mei said quietly. "Cryo took its toll on me as it did all of us. But I was _at_ the celebration when the Emperor died." Everyone stilled at that. "I... remember... pain... Fear. Anger. A bright light. Then I woke... Everyone was dead. Orokin and Tenno alike. Some slain by energy, others by blades. It... looked like our kin had turned on each other. But I... I don't know."

"And Stalker seeks vengeance for the death of the Emperor." Jesse said quietly. Mei nodded.

"And everything that came after. To him, I was _there_, I _had_ to be involved. I _must_ be guilty and in his mind anyone who he _thinks_ is guilty will be punished." Mei said quietly. "Maybe I was -am-. I do not know. Mindscans show nothing. If I _did_ have memories of that time, they were wiped by the cryo." She shook her head. "He has attacked me several times since I woke from cryo. He has won a few, I have won a few. When Janet contacted me... I felt an opportunity to stop him once and for all. But he mindwiped one of Oracle Janet's attendants and hurt Caroline." Jesse hissed at that and Mei nodded. "I wasn't ready." Mei admitted. "I was so close, but I wasn't ready. He was pushing too hard. He would have killed Caroline. He _did_ kill Natalie E-12. Janet stopped him." She snorted a bit darkly. "Remind me never to get on the Oracle's bad side." Jesse froze and she felt her eyes start to burn. She had liked that young woman.

"He also killed a bunch of merfolk who took offense to him poisoning their kids." Nikis said in a savage tone. Jesse stared at him and Nikis nodded. "Caroline was telling the truth. Most of it."

"This... cannot stand." Jesse said softly. She looked at Olim who shook his head little, but then nodded. "We need to stop this. Mom? What is happening? Can you say?"

"I am not totally sure, Jesse." Janet admitted. "As I say, I am too close. It's all fuzzy where you are concerned. But Stalker will be _very_ wary about crossing me again." Her voice was quiet, but her eyes were flashing. "You are still in danger. I get that. But I cannot see where it comes from or why."

"Could you see anything at _all_?" Jesse asked. Raven and Draco were looking at her oddly and she frowned. "I mean... It seems that I am some kind of focus here. But... I should be safe from whatever if I am here, no?"

"Not necessarily. Mei got to you here. Others can too. As for what I _can_ see?" Janet said with a sigh. "Just colors. Dark brown and green." Jesse stiffened and Janet stared at her. "Jesse?"

"Grineer colors?" Jesse asked softly. Janet stared at her and then the Oracles gaze turned far away. She nodded slowly. Jesse sighed. "Oh... boy..."

"Later." Raven said sternly. "You have a _bed_ calling you, young lady." Draco took one of Jesse's arms and Raven the other. Together they directed her towards the door.

"Raven... I..." Jesse complained, but did not resist. It was pointless. She was grumbling as she was led from the room. "Bunch of fracking tyrants."

"Only because we love you, Jesse." Raven said with a smile. "Only because we love you."

* * *

"Good kid..." Mei said into the silence that fell after Jesse was led from the room. "I am sworn to aid Janet in finding out who threatens her daughter." She said to Karl who nodded. "Do you need an oath from me?"

"No." Karl shook his head. Nikis nodded, turned and left. Janet vanished. "They trust you. I should."

"Only so far." Mei said quietly. "I do not... remember what happened at the celebration. I do not remember if Nicholas did anything else to me."

"We can do some tests of our own." Karl said quietly. "We have a pair of stellar class mental technicians available here." Olim had not moved and Karl nodded to the Cyberlancer. "Olim?"

"I will be watching." Olim said quietly and Mei nodded.

"Please do." Mei said calmly. "I need to stop Stalker, one way or another. I need to help Jesse. The code is untouched, but you cannot trust that either." She rose slowly to her feet and bowed to Karl. "I will follow your orders." Karl looked at her and then made a noise suspiciously like a chuckle. "I will..." She protested.

"I hope you follow my orders better than you followed my desires way back when." Karl had a strange bubble of laughter in his tone now and Olim started from one to the other. Mei made a face and Karl nodded. 'You remember that." It wasn't a question.

"Hard to _forget_." Mei drawled and Karl actually laughed.

"You took me by surprise." Karl shook his head, levity fading. "That will not happen again."

"I... wish it had been different." Mei said softly. "We were not right for one another."

"And we knew it." Karl replied. "I was still in love with Serene. You wanted a conquest, not a relationship." Olim just shook his head. "Hey..." Karl said mildly. "It was a long time ago, brother."

"You two..." Olim sighed. "No. No. I do _not_ want to know."

"It was one night." Mei said with a smile. "But _what_ a night."

"Too much information!" Olim declared, his hand sup in a warding gesture. "We need to protect Jesse. If it is the Grineer..."

"You think they may have cloned her?" Karl asked quietly.

"I would have." Olim admitted. "But they were supposed to have used all of her genetic material to put her back together after the doctor hurt her."

"But you are smarter than a Grineer." Karl said a she waved for Mei to accompany him. "We can talk to the docs, see what would be involved in getting you a new face, Mei. That one... will cause more problems."

"That is not nice, Karl." Mei replied off hand as she rose to follow. "A box of _rocks_ is smarter than the average Grineer. Some of them make the rocks look _smart_." Olim stared at her and then a snicker escaped the Frost Prime at her wicked tone.

"Oh, you haven't seen _anything_ yet, Olim..." Karl warned him. "Cora was known for her jokes. Practical and otherwise. She got me drunk to get me into her bed."

"Which was no joke." Mei replied. "You were mad the next day, and took it out on me in sparring. I ached for two days. But you know..." She smiled.

"_Totally_ worth it."


	12. Chapter 12

**Stalking**

The small team of Tenno moved through the Grineer base like four deadly shadows. They moved in concert, each covering a specific sector as they darted from point to point. Four of them. All lethal beyond belief. All ready for almost anything.

The Loki warframe ranged ahead, but never quite out of sight of the rest. His Acrid pistol tracked from side to side, but he normally did not even bother with it. A pair of Fang Prime daggers hung at his back and they made incredibly short work of any Grineer armor they touched. He hadn't ever had to touch his Snipetron. Between his invisibility and his preternatural sense of where enemies would be, he managed not to be where they were looking long enough to swing around behind them. A flips, two quick slices and another clone was falling to disintegrate silently in the gloom of the Grineer base. He didn't bother to count. His job was to keep the way clear and he managed it. Aeron was in the zone.

Right behind him, the Frost Prime walked almost entirely out in the open. Of course... most of his awareness was elsewhere. Both the Tenno and his AI partner were busy making life...interesting for the myriad Grineer who called this base home. His weapons were ready to his hands, but he hadn't had to fire a shot yet. His suppressed Burston Prime rifle tracked expertly, but he hadn't had to fire even a single shot yet. Only once had a large patrol of Grineer forced him to assist the point Tenno in dispatching them and he had used his Dual Kamas to slay them silently as the Loki had done the same. Ten seconds, six Grineer. None of the clones had even had time to scream. Olim was not a master of stealth, but he knew how to do it. It was more about timing than actual invisibility for the Cyberlancer and he was past master of timing.

The two warframes bringing up the rear hadn't had to do much. The white Rhino and red Trinity had maintained their crouching walk for much of the ingress into the Grineer base. Karl carried his habitual shotgun and Kunai as well as the golden slashing spear he rarely went anywhere without. Mei... only carried a Glaive. But she _was_ very good with it. She could not make it arc under her mental commands as the First had done, but she _could_ throw it with deadly accuracy. While the rebounds of the saw shaped melee weapon were not always predictable, they were very lethal as several Grineer stragglers had discovered to their cost.

None of the few Grineer who had encountered this incursion force had survived long enough to notice them, let alone sound an alarm. Which was good. But the mission was only beginning.

All four of them entered a small room and paused as they saw a security terminal ahead. They were close to their goal. A wave from the Rhino had the Frost Prime move to the terminal. In mere seconds, indicators on the door ahead changed from red to green.

A blur and the Loki vanished from sight. The Frost Prime remained at the console, working. He nodded to the others who assumed positions beside the door they had entered through. A faint 'crack' sounded through the closed door ahead and the Rhino and Trinity looked at the Frost Prime, who shrugged.

Then it happened. The lights... flickered and all of them heard the voice.

_Mei, you cannot run from your past._

The Frost Prime stiffened and then he was working quickly with something. The Trinity sidled to one wall as the door to the outside locked, her Glaive up and ready to block. The Rhino nodded and moved to stand in front of her. A sound came through their HUDs, a chirp. Aeron had acquired the data. No alarms. Not that anyone expected such from him. He was just that good at sneaking.

_The blood of the innocent is on your hands. Did you think there would be no repercussions?_

Mei retreated another step until her back was totally to the wall. Karl stood between her and the middle of the room... where something flew from Olim's hand to land and sit on the floor, glowing faintly.

_Your sentence is death!_ The kinslayer taunted and a hazy form appeared. But that was the _last_ thing that went right for him. As his form solidified, the tiny device that Olim had thrown erupted in a haze of golden energy, surrounding the dark warframe and holding it in place. He couldn't even _rise!_

_What the...?_

"We are clear." Olim's voice was harsh as he glared at the Stalker, his voice filled with hate. "Nowhere to run _now_, Kinslayer."

_What have you done?_ The Stalker demanded, struggling in his cage of golden energy. _What have you __**done?**_

"We are going to _talk_." Karl said quietly. "Olim? Status on the rest of the base?"

"Clear." Olim said firmly. The door to the data vault hissed open and Aeron... It wasn't walking. It wasn't slithering. It was... hard to describe what the sniper was doing. But the hate he was projecting was a match for Stalker's. The best term was probably... stalking? Yes. Aeron was _stalking_ towards the Stalker, a small golden knife appearing in his hand. "Aeron." Olim said with a sigh.

The Loki jerked. The knife vanished and he was at the outer door before it unsealed. Then he was gone.

"You really irritated him with what you did to his wife." Olim said in a conversational tone. Stalker paused in his struggles to stare at the Cyberlancer. "You won't talk to your targets except to taunt them. But... You are not hunting me. I do not know why. But you do not attack me. When I am with your targets, you flee when you can." Olim shook his head. "And you will not say why. You are bound by whatever oaths you took... so..." He pointed a finger and both Karl and Mei turned to face the door. The golden barrier flared around Stalker and Olim nodded. "They cannot hear you now."

Stalker did not reply, he fought the golden energy that surrounded him. It enclosed him so tightly that he could not reach any of his weapons.

"You will not break that." Olim said evenly. "And even if you _do_ somehow? There is an Orokin soul catcher underneath you." Stalker froze and stared down at the tiny object that lay underneath him. It glistened ominously in the harsh light of the room. "You hate us. I get that. We hate _you_. We would _love_ to take your energy and put it in the database where your victims can have their _own_ vengeance."

_You... are not my target._ Stalker stated as if forcing himself to speak.

"I get that." Olim retorted evenly. "And I get that I likely won't ever know why. It's an itch I am never going to be able to scratch. Maddening, to be sure. But I can handle it. I get that you hurt _Iriana_ more than anyone else in her life. For that _alone_, I would cut you to pieces." Stalker stared at the Cyberlancer, Olim wasn't faking his rage. His _own_ hate. "But _that_ is neither here, nor there. What are you planning to do to Jesse?"

_What?_ The Stalker demanded, his struggles momentarily pausing. _What are you talking about?_

"Do not try to _lie_ to me, kinslayer." Olim snapped. "I can read you as close as I am. You know what is happening. What are you doing to her?"

_I am not._ The red and black warframe just stared at Olim. _You know not what-_

"Fine." Olim snapped. "Nikis... we are ready." The red and black warframe went still as the door opened again and a figure from nightmares stepped into the room. The Nekros warframe was calm as he strode forward, but the Stalker was suddenly struggling. It did him _no_ good.

_No!_ The kinslayer screamed. _No! Not him! Not __**now!**_

"This has been a _long_ time coming, ya _brat_." Nikis said as he reached out -_through_ the golden shell- and touched the red and black warframe on the head. Evil looking orange energy coruscated around the shell's inside and suddenly, the red and black warframe wavered and vanished, the energy being pulled into the Nekros' gauntlet. The Nekros sighed and nodded to Olim. "I got him. We are gonna have a _nice_ long chat. Him. Me. And _Mag_." The sheer malevolence in his voice had all three of the listeners shivering.

"We need answers, Nikis." Karl said as he turned back around. Mei... was shivering and he laid a hand on her shoulder. She nodded to him.

"You will get 'em." Nikis said as he bent down to collect the small device from the floor. It vanished into a pocket on his warframe. "Nasty Orokin crap... If he proves too stubborn, I'll bring _Sun_ in." The mention of the Tenno interrogator had all three of the others shivering again. "But I think Mag and I can... _persuade_ him to spill the beans."

"_Beans?_" Olim inquired. Nikis just sighed and the Cyberlancer shook his head quickly. "Never mind. I don't want to _know_."

"You all have a mission to finish." Nikis said with a snort of dark amusement. "I am going to take our new friend and get better _acquainted_ with him." With that, he was gone.

"I..." Mei swallowed hard. "I hated him for so long... is it wrong that... I suddenly feel sorry for him?"

"No." Karl said sadly as he turned to exit the room. "It just shows you are far more human acting than he is."

"I... guess." Mei shook her head. "So... the other vaults?" She asked, focusing on the mission.

"Aeron is heading for vault 2." Karl agreed. "Let's get to vault 3. Quietly."

"Right." Mei hit the door and it opened to show a very startled Grineer Napalm staring at them. He jerked and spun, a shout starting. But it turned into a rasping gurgle as Mei's Glaive sliced out and took the front of his neck armor off. What it did to the flesh _under_ the armor was predictable. His hands went to his neck, trying without success to stem the sudden flow of lifeblood.

Karl grabbed the falling clone and pulled it into the alcove, tossing it behind a set of boxed as the Grineer choked on his own blood. Mei nodded to him and started off, her head swiveling left and right. Olim just shook his head and follwoed with Karl.

* * *

**Somewhere not real**

"You are an idiot."

Stalker materialized in a small room. He stared around wildly and then froze as Nikis appeared near one wall. The Tenno Grandmaster was fully armed and Stalker... wore a robe...

"A complete fucking idiot." Nikis continued as he leaned against the wall. "You just had to make them all mad at you, didn't you? Janet wants your privates on plate for what you did to Natalie E-12. Give me _one_ good reason I shouldn't give them to her." Stalker knelt and held up and empty hand. In it, a tiny golden form appeared. Nikis stiffened as a holo formed. Natalie E-12 slept, her face serene. "You _really_ expect me to believe..." Nikis growled.

"I did not mindwipe her." Stalker said quietly. "She was not my target. Is not my target. I only kill Tenno. I sequestered her mind. No more."

"So... a hostage." Nikis said mildly. Stalker shook his head. "What then?"

"I could not trust the Oracles." Stalker replied quietly. "If Oracle Janet is as powerful as people say, why could she not heal herself?"

"_You_ try holding the power to wipe the Solar System from existence sometime, fool." Nikis said with a snap. Stalker stared at him and then nodded slowly. "She needed time to recover. She hurt herself again getting up to take you out. You _really_ pissed her off."

"So I saw." Stalker relaxed just a little. Obviously Nikis wasn't going to start the rough stuff immediately.

"Caroline, now..." Nikis mused. "She is a pain. Always has been. Holier than thou doesn't _begin_ to cover it." Stalker did not move and Nikis grunted. "But...she is kin. _Blood kin_ no less." At that, Stalker went totally still. "Sticking your scythe in her was a mistake. It made her _mad_."

"I never would have guessed." The hunter of Tenno replied with a shrug.

"If you haven't figured it out by now, jackass..." Nikis said with a sigh. "You are about neck deep in cacky and _sinking_." The Nekros shook his head. "You have the Tenno, the Oracles, and all kinds of other people wanting your head. The _only_ reason your energy is still mostly intact is because of Jesse."

"I know." Stalker replied.

"Janet wants to save her daughter." Nikis continued. "If it _is_ you who is doing it to her..."

"It isn't." Stalker interjected and Nikis went still. "I did not trust the Oracles, but I did do some research prior to initiating contact. Tenno Jesse is brand new. I would have no quarrel with her even if she were a combatant. Which she is _not_. She is not my target and I have no wish to anger her mother. _Again_." He corrected himself with a shiver.

"And?" Nikis snarled.

"The Oracles' plan to make a AI hybrid to secure their communications is flawed." Stalker said quietly. Nikis went still and Stalker continued. "They may or may not know this."

"If you try to lie to me..." Nikis warned. "I _will_ leave you to Mag and Sun." Not a threat. A promise.

"I do not need to." Stalker replied evenly. "Not when the truth will suffice. There is only one instance of an AI hybrid succeeding that I have been able to find in any of the records I have recovered." Nikis growled and Stalker nodded. "The Lotus."

"Say her name again and I _will_ hurt you." Nikis snapped. Stalker shut up. He wasn't stupid. He shook his head and Nikis relaxed a little. "I remember the other attempts."

"I only saw two other attempts in the records I found." Stalker replied calmly. "But yeah. Both were bad. And the only defense? Cyberlancers."

"So Jesse would be a threat to the AI." Nikis mused. Stalker nodded. "_If_ of course I can believe a word you say."

"There is that." Stalker replied, still calm.

"You know..." Nikis mused a bit louder. "I wonder..." He stepped to where Stalker was kneeling and grabbed his robe. A powerful yank tore it from the Tenno killer's shoulder. Stalker went still and Nikis laughed, darkly amused. "Shit... I should have known..."

"Didn't think we could hide it from you." Stalker replied as he pulled his robe up.

"You know I am going to corroborate this." Nikis said with a scowl. "And that means I have to talk to _her_." He shook his head again. "That always puts me in a _very_ bad mood. If you are _lying_... Mag really wants to try a _spork_." Stalker actually shivered from the sheer gleeful malevolence in the Nekros' tone.

"I am not lying, Nikis." Stalker said quietly.

"We will see." Nikis vanished from the virtual world and Stalker sighed, relaxing for the first time since arriving. Then he stiffened. A female voice was singing nearby.

'One, two... Mag is coming for you...'

The words preceded the golden Mag Prime appearing nearby. A small metal object was twirling over her hand. It was a spoon, but it had teeth carved in the rounded end.

"Well, well, well..." The First Mag had a smile in her voice as she knelt by the wall. "Fancy meeting you here, kinslayer."

"Nikis wants me first..." Stalker managed to say.

"Oh I am not going to... damage you." Mag said with a snort as the spork started spinning faster and faster. Soon it was a blur. "Much."

Then the spinning spork darted in and all he could do was scream.

* * *

**Seconds later**

"This... was not expected."

"Bull." Nikis said with a snarl as he stood in the com room of Karl's dojo. "You had it all planned out, didn't you?"

"Not all."

"You knew what they were going to do and you knew why." Nikis said with a snap. "Did you _bother_ to warn them?"

"I did." The other replied. "They felt the risks were acceptable. They were looking for a volunteer."

"And of course, you can _handle_ it, so you didn't _bother_ to tell Olim about this." The scorn in Nikis' voice could have cut steel. "After all, you know better than a Cyberlancer about the dangers and threats."

"There is no need for sarcasm, Nikis." The other replied calmly. "Things have not proceeded as anticipated."

"You can say that again." Nikis said with a sigh. "I knew you had to be involved somehow... but this...?" He shook his head. "Do _you_ give him targets or does the head bitch?"

"Nikis, it is not that simple."

"No?" Nikis asked, his tone sour. "I think it is fairly simple. He hunts and kills Tenno. On _your_ orders or _Eliza's_?"

"Neither." The other's tone was sad now. "Nikis, it is not what you believe. I am not-"

"_Shut. Up._" Nikis snapped. The other stopped speaking. "I will not let you kill Jesse. I will not."

"Tenno Jesse is needed." The other said quickly. "She will be protected."

"And when her _mother_ is subsumed by the _mess_ that you helped the Oracles create?" Nikis demanded. "What _then_? You _really_ think she will just sit on her hands while _you_ clean up your mess?"

"I did not aid them in this."

"Bull." Nikis repeated. "How _else_ did they get the plans for an AI interface? Those were locked up tight and their visions were not clear enough to make something like that."

"Nikis... don't do this..." The other begged. "Don't make me do this. Don't make me order you again."

"You do _not_ command me." Nikis said savagely. "I follow the _Code_, _not_ you. _Never_ you. _Once_ being shafted by your idiocy was _enough_."

"Nikis _please_!" The Lotus begged. "Let me _explain_."

"I have had enough of your lies." Nikis cut the connection and stood up straight. He shook his head slowly.

"Better tell Olim _hell_ is coming to breakfast..."


	13. Chapter 13

**Preparation**

Jesse woke, aware of something odd. Her body was relaxed. She was relaxed. But... someone was touching her! She was being moved!

"Easy, girl." She knew the voice. Mori from Karl's clan. "I am trying to help." But... something was wrong. Why was Mori talking so quietly? Why couldn't Jesse open her eyes? Why was there energy suddenly bathing Jesse's face? She felt...

Jesse curled up inside her barriers. This was wrong! She had to...

"Easy..." Mori crooned. "We need to help. Just relax. We need to get you to a shielded environment. You will not be able to move on your own for a while. We are not enemies." Jesse curled up tighter in her mind and Mori sighed. "Draco...tell her?" She begged.

"You _should_ have let her wake up as completely as she could." The voice of Jesse's bodyguard was stern and disapproving. "Time be damned, if she resists, it will cost _more_ time than we have."

_Draco?_ Jesse went still. He was with this other Tenno who was doing something to her?

"Let me talk to her." Raven. Raven was here too? "Jesse..." Raven said softly. "It's okay. We got a warning about a threat. We need to protect you." Her voice turned wry. "Mori is not that great about _explaining_ things."

"There is no _time_." Mori said quietly. "We need her in the shield room _now_."

"And if she _resists_, she can hurt anyone who tries to carry her." Raven retorted. "She may not be able to connect except wirelessly, but a direct _skin_ touch?" The Elder paused and then made a noise of resignation. "Jesse... hear me..."

Something... wafted through Jesse as a hand touched her brow. Raven. Raven's mind, which Jesse had touched a few times when the Elder had managed to slip training time into Jesse's hectic schedule. Information flowed from the Elder to Jesse, stymied by her shield. Jesse... cracked the shield, just a little to let some of the information in. She perused it and gasped. She was in danger! But... Mori, Draco and Raven _were_ trying to protect her. She couldn't get all of the information, but that was the gist.

_What the...?_ Jesse begged Raven as she lowered most of her mental defenses. _What is happening?_

_What the Oracles set in motion is beginning, Jesse. _Raven said with a mental sob. _Nothing can stop it from happening. But we__** can**__ protect you. And we must._

_Mom..._ Jesse begged as she released her mental shields, only the innermost one -the one no Tenno _ever_ dropped willingly- still in place. _What will happen to my Mom? _

_I do not know, Jesse. _Raven said sadly. _None of us do. But we have to protect __**you**__. Olim is on his way as well._

_I..._Jesse sighed mentally and relaxed bit more, still holding her innermost shields._ Do what you must._

"Right." Raven said aloud as her hand withdrew. "Jesse is mostly aware and she will not resist. She doesn't trust. Not surprising after so many abuses of her trust. But she will not resist unless we do something out of character. So be yourselves."

"What am I supposed to do, _'fly casual_'?" Draco demanded sourly. Jesse snorted mentally at that.

"No. You are not a Wookiee..." Mori said quietly as strong arms lifted her up and carried her easily. "Jesse, you were given a strong sedative to help you sleep." Jesse remembered taking the pill. It had gone down easily. She had needed it. She had been so worried. So stressed. It had worked fast. She had been fading even as she had laid down. "It hasn't worn off and we _cannot_ eliminate it from your body without causing problems. You cannot either. You were only asleep for an hour. The sedative was set to put you out for _eight_. You are not going to be able to move. But we _have_ to move you."

"And doing it without you aware is a _bad_ idea. You wake up being moved without an explanation and all hell breaks loose." Raven's voice was tart as a hand laid on Jesse's arm. It gave her a squeeze. "Once we are in the shield room, Mori will put you back to sleep."

_Mom..._ Jesse begged in her mind. Draco's mind answered her. He must have been the one carrying her.

_We will do what we can, Jesse._ Draco promised her. _But protecting __**you**__ must take priority._ Something wrapped around Jesse's shields. A feeling...a warm, gentle feeling. It was... not quite familiar, but it was...

_Draco... did I know you...?_ Jesse asked as she felt movement. She was moving vertically. They must have gotten into an elevator. _Before?_

_We never met until Nikis opened my resting place._ Draco said quietly. _You know me now, but before? No._

_You feel... familiar..._ Jesse felt... comforted. _But I do not know from where._

_Do I?_ Draco asked, his tone gently amused. _Be at east, Jesse. You are safe and will return to your slumber shortly._

_What are they doing? _Jesse asked. She could feel Draco's reluctance to reply and she put every ounce of pleading she could into her voice. _Please?_

_You know that Orokin was a time of wonders and horrors. _Draco said quietly into Jesse's mind as he carried her. Jesse sent a wordless acknowledgement. _They tried... everything. And I __**do**__ mean __**everything**__. Anything that would gain them power over their rivals, enemies, peers, __**whatever**__... was fair game. As long as the people trying were willing and no one who was not involved was hurt in the process... And sometimes they went further than allowed. _He sighed. _Have you talked to the Lotus?_

_No. _Jesse admitted. _I think she touched me once, but it was more of a 'Hi' than actual conversation. Getting to know my mental feel I guess._

_Probably. _Draco said with mental sigh as the movement slowed. _Almost there, Jesse._

_What does the Lotus have to do with this? _Jesse asked as she felt the body carrying her slow further. She heard locks click.

_Everything._ Draco replied. _She is an AI hybrid. Like the chair you saw at the Enclave. She was the __**only**__ successful merging of a corporeal mind and an AI that I know of. We got word that the method the Oracles are using is flawed._

_Oh god...Mom. _Jesse said weakly as she was laid on something soft. _Wait..._ She begged as energy flared around her again and she was falling. _I can help! I __**can**__!_

_Yes you can, Jesse. But I do not know if your mom can be saved. _This voice was female, calm. Gentle. But... it pulled Jesse in and held her tight as she started to cry. She fell asleep crying, but... A song sounded in her mind. She smiled through her tears as she fell asleep.

The Lotus was singing to her.

* * *

Raven bowed her head as Jesse fell asleep again, her face awash with tears. She had a cloth in hand, wiping the tears from Jesse's face as Mori stepped back, her face a mask.

"Seal it." Raven said firmly as Draco took up position by the bed. The room wasn't small, but the bed and the medical equipment they had wanted handy just in case took up a bit of it.

"Raven..." Mori protested. "You and Draco..."

"We are _not_ leaving her to face this alone." Raven snapped. "Get _out_ and _seal_ it! Olim will need your help. Go!" Mori slumped a bit and then bowed to Raven and Draco. She left the room and the hush of seals was followed by the clicks of locks. Raven finished wiping Jesse's face and sighed. "I am scared, Draco." She admitted. "For her."

"The backlash is going to be bad, Elder Raven." Draco said quietly. "We need to stay close to her."

"She can't shield herself as well when she is sedated." Raven said with a sigh as she lay down on the bed beside Jesse. "And I am not sure what to do."

"All we can do is offer our strength." Draco said as he sat on Jesse's other side. "And be here for her. You know what she will choose." Raven nodded silently, gathering Jesse's still form up in her arms before lying down again, careful to keep Jesse lying in comfortable way.

"How much of what we have been told do you think is true?" Raven asked after a moment. Draco looked at her and Raven scowled. "I am not stupid, Draco. I know I haven't been told everything. I do not _need_ to know much of it."

"I don't know." Draco admitted. "Does it matter?"

"No." Raven bent down and kissed Jesse's cheek. The girl did not react. "No, I guess it doesn't." She went still as Jesse jerked "It's beginning..."

"Hold her. Keep her from hurting herself." Draco said sharply as he took Jesse's hands in his own. She jerked and her eyes opened, but saw nothing. "Come on, girl... You can do it... Hold on."

This... would not be fun.

* * *

**In transit**

She was floating. Everything was calm, serene even. She felt... good. But...

She could hear a voice calling in the distance. It wasn't anyone she knew. It sounded young. Scared. Terrified even. She couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. Whoever it was, the child was starting to cry. She focused on it...

"Jesse..." Another voice, close at hand. Jesse spun, but saw nothing. She couldn't see anything! She was...

"Jesse." The voice repeated and suddenly, Jesse could see. She was standing in a large room. The room was familiar. This was where she had taken the Trial. But... She wasn't alone. A tall human woman wearing a mask that covered her head down to her mouth stood in front of Jesse. She smiled as she nodded to Jesse. "There you are."

Jesse had never met the... whatever she was, but she knew _who_ it was.

"Lotus?" Jesse said slowly, her eyes flicking here and there. "I heard... a child..." The Lotus went still, her hand halfway up to take Jesse's.

"Jesse..." Lotus said quietly. "It wasn't a child. That you could hear it from so far away, through every barrier we could devise... is very distressing."

"Lotus, the child was crying." Jesse pressed. "Or... was it?" She shook her head. "I can't...feel..."

"Jesse, you are a mess." The Lotus held out her hand and Jesse took it, her hand only trembling slightly. "I warned the Oracles about the dangers, the threats. They thought they had the problems under control. But some things... just cannot be controlled."

"Lotus, what is going on?" Jesse asked, fear rising.

"Jesse, you need to come with me." The Lotus pulled her gently. "And you need to come with me _now_. I _cannot_ protect you from a distance if you heard the cry from so far away."

"What was crying, Lotus?" Jesse demanded, not moving. Lotus sighed and nodded.

"You deserve an explanation." Lotus said as she pulled Jesse into a loose embrace and held her. "You heard an emergent AI." Jesse went still and the Lotus nodded. "It is confused. It is scared. It cannot find what it seeks, so it is searching everywhere it can. But it _will_ _not_ find what it seeks."

"Is it looking for me?" Jesse asked, worried.

"No." The Lotus reassured her. "It doesn't know _what_ it is looking for." She gave a human sounding sigh. "The whole idea of merging a human mind with an AI was to bridge both worlds. To provide a human with almost unlimited access to information and to provide an AI with the means to understand humans." The Lotus chuckled ruefully. "It... never worked out quite as they had planned."

"So the AI...is at the Enclave..." Jesse said but paused as the Lotus shook her head. "What?"

"The _access point_ for the AI was at the Enclave." The Lotus said sadly. "And when you first arrived there... It was still forming. Your power woke it. They thought they had it controlled, asleep. They were wrong."

"Oh god..." Jesse went stiff. "Mom..."

"Your mother lives, Jesse." The Lotus reassured her. "For now."

"What have I _done?_" Jesse screamed and collapsed to her knees. The Lotus held her and eased her to the floor.

"Jesse, it wasn't you." The Lotus said quickly. "It _wasn't_ you. The AI woke, nothing you did or did not do caused that. Your _presence_ caused it, not anything you _did_. It felt your power and reacted. There was no way you could have stopped that from happening." She lifted Jesse into her arms and rocked her gently. "Easy, girl. Easy."

"What can I do?" Jesse begged as she tried to stop crying. She couldn't. "Everything I do goes _wrong_!"

"That is not true." The Lotus consoled her gently. "You have made mistakes. But _everyone_ does. Even me." After a time that could have been moments or centuries, Jesse was calm and the Lotus let her go. "Jesse, we have two major problems and they are both connected."

"The AI is one." Jesse said with a gulp and the Lotus nodded. "From your words... it isn't... insane."

"Yet." The Lotus said sadly. "But it is only a matter of time. It cannot fulfill its function and without that... it cannot cope. It is only a matter of time and not a lot of that. AIs think far, far faster than humans or Tenno can."

"What will happen if... it finds me?" Jesse asked slowly. The Lotus frowned and Jesse nodded. "I fall into darkness... screaming." Her mom's vision. The Lotus nodded.

"The interface won't work." The Lotus said quietly. "I checked. The Oracles did a very good job building it, but... it isn't designed for a Tenno. The energies won't mesh. The AI would go mad trying to force you to fit and _you_ would go mad trying to keep it from killing you. Not an option."

"So... it will go mad." Jesse said softly. The Lotus nodded. "Why can't we stop that?"

"It won't talk to its creators, Jesse." The guide of the Tenno said sadly. "It is focusing all of its power -a great deal- on finding its partner. But it has no partner. When I was created, the woman who became me was selected and trained. Even then... the interface...didn't work quite right." She smiled a little. "I wasn't a slave like they had planned."

"Glad of that." Jesse said with a smile of her own. It faded. "Lotus... what is happening to me?"

"The power that the machine is sending out is reacting with your code." The Lotus said quietly. "Badly."

"I see." Jesse said with a gulp. "Olim? Quais?"

"They are having some difficulty, but with help they are managing." The Lotus said with a sigh. "_You_ are vulnerable. So, you need to come with me. I can sequester your mind... until this is over."

"Until the AI does." Jesse said flatly and the Lotus nodded. "There has to be another way. Something we can do."

"There isn't." The Lotus said sternly. "I have been looking. Your mom has been looking. There is nothing we can do."

"Nothing... you can do..." Jesse said softly, tilting her head to the side for a moment. The Lotus stiffened.

"Jesse..." She warned.

"Lotus, I need some probabilities run." Jesse said softly, her eyes far away. "Odd of survival if I merge with the AI?"

"0.002%." The Lotus replied instantly.

"Okay." Jesse said with a wince. "Not an option. Probability of the AI finding a suitable partner in time?"

"Jesse..." The Lotus groaned, but Jesse just sat there and the Lotus sighed. "0.01%." She shook her head. "Not much greater."

"Probability of careful communication causing irreparable harm to my energy?" Jesse asked quietly.

"Jesse." The Lotus was losing patience. "_No_. I _won't_ put you in danger. I promised your mom and I won't even go into what _Nikis_ would do to me."

"What if it wasn't me?"Jesse asked with a sudden light in her eyes. "What if it was... someone else?" The Lotus went still and Jesse smiled. "Protecting AIs is our job, Lotus." The Lotus was shaking her head but Jesse was having none of it. "Lotus... probability?"

"We cannot risk any of you." The Lotus said sternly.

"Olim and Quais will agree with me." Jesse said quietly as she knelt back on the floor. "We protect our kin from electronic and computer based attacks. But we _**also**_..." She emphasized the word heavily. "...protect artificial intelligences. This one needs help. We must give it. Probability?" She demanded sternly.

"Jesse... if you do it, you will die." The Lotus said firmly. "That probability nears 100%."

"And the others?" Jesse pressed. The Lotus looked away and Jesse's eyes narrowed. "You don't want them to do it, do you?"

"Jesse..."The Lotus said softly. "There is more going on than you know."

"Of _course_ there is." Jesse said with a snort. "Does it involve me?" The Lotus shook her head. Jesse sighed. "Lotus, I may be young, but this is my job. If I cannot help without dying, then we need to find someone who _can_. Quickly."

"Jesse..." The Lotus gave a sigh herself. "The only person who might be able to talk to the AI without being subsumed... is currently being educated by Mag. He is Nikis' prisoner. And we cannot trust him. _At all._"

"So don't." Jesse replied evenly. "It will have to be virtual, will it not?" The Lotus did not want to answer that and Jesse shook her head. "Lotus..."

"Jesse, I need to take you somewhere safe." The Lotus started and then froze as Jesse raised hand that was glowing with golden code. "Jesse, don't!"

"You have played me well." Jesse said softly. "I should go to safety. Not that a hard drive on Avalon is safe. Just saf_er_." She shook her head. "You knew how I would react to the feelings. To the call that the AI is sending. Your quoting probabilities was designed to make me think of alternatives. Well, I _have_."

"Jesse... _don't_!" the lotus begged as golden energy flared from the young Cyberlancer.

"Grandmaster Nikis, would you join us please?" Jesse asked in a respectful tone. The pitch black Nekros appeared nearby and Jesse bowed to him. "We have a problem that straddles life and death, Grandmaster of the Guardians of the Dead. Will you set aside your _rightful_ anger to aid us?" She asked quietly.

Nikis... nodded.

"I will."


	14. Chapter 14

**Less than ideal**

For a long moment, the Lotus just stood, obviously staring at Nikis who did not move.

"Jesse..." The Lotus said slowly.

"Shut up." Nikis' words were calm, cool. But underneath lay the smoldering depths of what he really _was_. "Jesse. Your show."

"Not really." Jesse said quietly. "She told me what is happening. The AI is waking. It is confused. Tenno cannot touch it or they will be subsumed. Go mad and then worse." Nikis nodded. "It is seeking a partner. It was designed to do so. It _has_ none since my code apparently touched it and woke it early. Before a partner was selected and trained."

"Not your fault." Nikis said with a sigh. "You had no _idea_ what was going on. Of _course_ you had feelers of code out when they took you into the Enclave. You had no _reason_ to trust them." Something about that comment bothered Jesse, but she ignored it. She had bigger problems.

"So it knows my code..." Jesse mused. "Not enough to merge, but it does not know any better. It _is_ seeking me." Nikis nodded again. "If I merge with the AI, my energy will degrade beyond my ability to recover and I will die. Which may be what Mom saw in her vision." The Nekros nodded a third time. "And if it does not find a partner, the AI dies."

"Not your problem, girl." Nikis said quietly. "If it dies, it is not your fault."

"I know." Jesse agreed. "I don't even know it and... from what I have been told... I can't." Nikis nodded again. "But Grandmaster... if the AI dies..." She shook her head. "What will the impact be on the Enclave?"

"Jesse..." Nikis was still quiet and his gaze never left the Lotus. "It is not your problem."

"If not _mine_, then _whose_?" Jesse asked in a reasonable tone. "Protecting AIs in danger was always supposed to be a job for Cyberlancers."

"Leave it to her." Nikis nodded just a little at the Lotus. "_Her_ mess, let _her_ clean it up."

"Can she?" Jesse asked quietly. She looked at the Lotus who hadn't seemed to move since Nikis had arrived. "You can't, can you?" The Lotus shook her head and Jesse slumped a bit. "Grandmaster Nikis..."

"No need to be so formal, Jesse." Nikis said quietly.

"Begging your pardon, Grandmaster..." Jesse said quietly. "Yes, there is." Nikis turned to look at her and she shook her head. "You hate her. Trinity told me why when she was instructing me. I understand." She bowed her head. "I wish... I wish I had met your son. He seemed like a good Tenno in the recording she showed me."

"Trinity never _did_ know when to stop meddling." Nikis growled, but it was only halfhearted.

"She is a healer." Jesse said with a smile. "I hear it comes with the territory when people are hurting." Nikis chuckled that.

"Yeah, a bit." The ancient Tenno agreed. "Your point?"

"You are angry." Jesse said quietly. "Rightfully so. But Grandmaster... How long must you suffer?" Nikis jerked and then growled at her. Jesse did not move. "Grief is perfectly normal. For humans or Tenno. But what you are doing is excessive."

"You are out of line, girl." Nikis said sternly. "I cut you some slack, but it is not infinite."

"And how much do you cut _yourself_?" Jesse asked, her eyes suddenly burning. The Lotus opened her mouth only to freeze as Jesse screamed at her. "_Be silent! He __**will**__ kill you!_"

"I gave you my word." Nikis said softly into the sudden silence that followed her cry.

"You said... and I quote...'I will.'" Jesse said precisely. "No oath. No sworn word." Nikis was shaking his head but she continued. "To achieve your ends, how far would you go? How many lies would you tell to gain your vengeance? How much pain can one Tenno, even a Grandmaster, _take_?" Nikis stared at her and she moved to stand between him and the Lotus. "You can strike her down despite me. You can do it any number of ways, harming me or not. But I cannot let you do it without trying my best to stop you."

"Jesse..." Nikis said softly, disbelieving as her hands suddenly lit up with golden code. "Don't be _stupid_, girl."

"I am not." Jesse said softly as her code formed into a defensive shell around her for all the good it would do. Nikis could likely tear through her barriers as if they were made of old style wood pulp paper. "Grandmaster Nikis... I am _trying_ to _help_. I am clumsy. I am... not well versed in the Tenno Code or any of the Mysteries." She was crying now. "But my _brother_ is in _pain_! What can I do but _try_ to help?" She begged.

"I..." For the first time since arriving, Nikis seemed to stagger. "You cannot save me, girl."

"Maybe not." Jesse admitted. "I am not a Healer. I am young and barely trained. But what I _am_... is untouched. Unsullied. Unburdened by the emotional baggage you have carried for so long. And I am _here_." She touched her sternum with a finger. "So are you. So is she."

"You... planned this?" Nikis sounded dubious. Jesse shook her head and he sighed. "Of course not. She did."

"And if she _did_?" Jesse pressed. "What is her purpose, Grandmaster Nikis?" Jesse asked, her tone moderating. "What is her _single_ defined purpose?" Nikis looked from Jesse to the Lotus and back.

"I am a guide for the Tenno." The Lotus said softly despite Jesse's frantic hushing gesture. "Often a bad one. I have had to...expand my duties recently with the rise of the Grineer. But that was and is my primary directive. That is all I have been since my mortal shell decayed. Since the Orokin who lied to me about what they wanted tricked me into the interface." Jesse froze her hand halfway through another 'hush' gesture. "Jesse, stand aside."

"No." Jesse said firmly. "My duty is to protect AIs as well as kin. I will do my duty." She staggered as the Lotus touched her shoulder and then she was five meters to the left of where she had been! A blink and she was back in between them, glaring at the Lotus. "Stop trying to control me!" She declared as the Lotus sighed.

"I am trying to save your _life_, Jesse." The Lotus sounded a bit peeved now. Nikis stared from one to the other. Was he snickering softly?

"Why don't you want us to save the AI?" Jesse demanded of the Lotus. Nikis went still from where he had been laughing quietly at the two. His posture became intent. "You don't."

"No, I don't." The Lotus replied quietly. "Jesse, you may be the best to understand. But there is only so much bandwidth in the communication systems as they are now. I need it all to do what I do. The probabilities are clear. Any disruptions can have horrid repercussions for all human life in the system."

"But... the AI was only to be under the surface. In the ocean. Using sound instead of exomagnetic or electromagnetic radiation." Jesse protested. "It can't access the main communication hubs." She paused. "Can it?"

"It could. Most AIs are limited for a reason, Jesse." The Lotus said quietly. "I was made as a control system. Yes, I fall back on that a lot. Too much. I want to be in control. It is a _need_ that was programmed into the basic algorithms of the AI half that merged with the Tenno half to become _me_. In most cases, I can step back from that, keep from being too overpowering. But I also... chose to help the Tenno. When they freed me." She sighed sadly. "Too late for their sister. But I serve. I do not rule."

"So this AI... wasn't going to be limited." Jesse said softly. The Lotus shook her head and Nikis made a disgusted noise. "_Can_ we limit it somehow? Keep it from becoming a threat?"

"The probabilities say 'No', Jesse." The Lotus sounded sad now. "The only way to safeguard humanity is to let it die."

"I cannot accept that." Jesse said firmly. "Grandmaster Nikis? Can an AI enter the database?" Nikis shook his head and Jesse sighed. "Of course not. Would have been too _easy_."

"Easy is not for a Tenno." Nikis said with a snort. But then his voice turned serious. "The energies are different. It _used_ to be possible. But the changes..." He shook his head. "I do not know the specifics of what needs to be changed, just that things need to be for AIs to cross the threshold safely." The two Tenno looked at the Lotus who shook her head. "And _she_ won't tell us."

"Allowing an _unlimited_ AI access to the Orokin database is _not_ a good idea." The Lotus said calmly. "Jesse, you need to come with me."

"No." Jesse said firmly. Nikis shook his head as she moved a little away from the Lotus. "The Oracles are in danger. Of their own making, but danger nonetheless. Said danger is an AI who is _also_ in danger. My duty is clear."

"Girl..." Nikis said heavily. "I hate to agree with the lying Machiavellian bitch. But you dying... is not a good thing to happen. As you say, you are young. Unsoiled. Untrammeled by the horrors the rest of us have endured. Jesse, please... go with her. We need..." He froze as Jesse actually _interrupted_ him.

"You are both the _**same**!_" Jesse snapped, her patience finally exhausted. "**_Your_** needs. **_Your_** wants. **_Your_** feelings. **_Selfish_**, the both of you. Well, I am **_not_** like that!" Her code flared as subtle power sought weaknesses in her shields. From both directions. "I will not **_be_** like that!"

"Jesse... be calm." The Lotus said softly.

"_Shut up._" The young Cyberlancer retracted her shields, strengthening them. She bowed her head. "So be it. You _both_ can go _play_ with _yourselves_. I want _nothing_ to do with _either_ of you." Her hands moved in a complicated pattern and a golden dot of energy appeared in front of her.

"Jesse!" Nikis shouted as the girl focused her power. "Don't!"

"I cannot trust _either_ of you!" Jesse almost screamed. "_Your_ hate _consumes_ you, that seems to be all you _care_ about! Your _hate_! And you _enjoy_ it! And _she_...? She _knows_ all, _sees_ all but she doesn't _care_ if a sparrow falls as long as it falls _her way!_"

"Jesse, that is not true." The Lotus's hands were glowing with dark blue energy. Energy that was seeping over Jesse's shields, scanning, seeking weaknesses, probing, readying. Orange energy was gathering around Nikis' hands as well. Jesse had moments, if that. "I _do_ care."

"Then _act_ it!" Jesse screamed as the golden dot expanded rapidly into a swirling portal. She threw herself into it moments before an _insanely_ powerful pulse of orange energy from Nikis tore through where she _had_ been standing. She was falling...

"_**Jesse!**_" Both of the others screamed as one, but she was gone.

* * *

"She..." For the first time in a long, long time, the Lotus was stunned speechless.

"She has gone back to her body." Nikis sounded little better. "Trinity... taught her a _lot_..." He slumped in place. "I..."

"Was she _right_?" The Lotus asked nobody. "Am I so caught up in my webs of intrigue that I... stopped _caring_?" She shook her head. "I... am sorry, Nikis. I... did not think it was a _mistake_. Dustin was... hurt. He needed help. I didn't see what Redi would do. It was a mistake. I know that now. But then? He was..." She broke off and bowed her head.

"Dust was hurt. And what had happened? No one believed his version over a shrink's. No one thought to question Redi's motives. No one believed Jasmina, I mean she was injured and obviously _delusional_. Talking _Infested_? _Sure_. All of her cohorts died when the Infested broke loose or were unavailable, fighting. I..." Nikis said, still in a hushed voice. "Hate is all I _am_, Lotus. All I have been for so long... Janet helps, but then she was hurt and... I... Did we just... _kill_ Janet's kid?"

"I don't know. What have I done, Nikis?" The Lotus begged as she knelt. "What have I _done_?"

"What have _we_ done?" Nikis said as he knelt in front of her. "We need... to fix this. But I do not know how."

"There... may be a way to communicate with the AI. If we can... maybe we can...explain? Get it to slow down it's call to her long enough for us to find away to help it?" The Lotus said softly. "But _any_ Tenno trying will be hurt or destroyed."

"And all of the merfolk but Mira fled after Stalker's attacks. No other humans are close enough or would be willing. And Mira is hurt." Nikis said softly. "So... who?"

"Stalker." The Lotus said with a nod. Nikis stiffened and the Lotus grimaced. "He can protect himself from energies that would harm Tenno... So..."

"That is thin." Nikis said slowly. "If it doesn't work?"

"Then a _renegade_ Royal Guardsman dies." The Lotus said with a sourness that matched Nikis' own. "I knew what he was, once. But no. Neither Eliza nor I commanded him."

"You know I can't trust that." Nikis said sadly. "I can't."

"I know. I will work to find proof you will accept." The Lotus said sadly. "Do you think... they can hold her? The call will become a pull. And that _pull_...will drive her mad." She was crying now. "I remember _that_, if little else."

"I do not know." Nikis said slowly. "If anyone can, Karl and his people can. But... I don't know."

"I will start pulling together everything I can." The Lotus promised.

"I will go have a talk with the kinslayer." Nikis said heavily. "And I know what he will want. His freedom. Sun is going be mad."

"We _cannot_ give him that, Nikis!" The Lotus protested. "After all this time and all these _deaths_, we _finally_ have him! We _cannot_ just give him up!"

"To save Jesse?" Nikis asked and the Lotus sighed. "Yeah. I know."

"Sucks to be us."

* * *

She was lying on something warm and soft. Warm bodies lay on either side of her. One was flesh, the other metal. She could...feel... It was... so beautiful. She tried to sit up.

"What the _hell_?" Raven demanded as arms encircled Jesse, holding her gently but firmly. "Jesse? How...?"

"Let go." Jesse begged. "I hear it... I need to... help..."

"Jesse!" Raven said sharply. "Focus! Listen to my voice! _Focus_, girl! Hear me!"

"I... hear..." Jesse stammered. Her body wasn't working quite right. Her head hurt. Her arms, her legs. Her tongue. "No... Have to..."

"Jesse." Strong arms held her now around Raven's. Draco's voice was calm, but worry lay underneath. "What happened? Your mind was supposed to be sequestered for your safety."

"Can't... trust..." Jesse managed to grate out. "Lied... manipulated... hate and..." She felt her eyes burn and she was being laid back on the bed. "AI... Needs help..."

"Jesse." Raven said gently. "Lie back. I am going to give you something to put you to sleep. We need to figure out why you came back. We need to get you to safety."

"_No!_" Jesse shouted as she forced herself to sit up despite the two sets of hands trying to get her to lie down. "_No!_ Won't let them... I _won't_!"

"Jesse!" Draco sounded fully worried now. "Calm down. It's okay. We will help. But... You can't stay here."

"They will kill it or let it die!" Jesse declared. "Won't _let_ them!" Raven inhaled sharply. "My duty is to..." Something hissed and she was falling again. Slowly... so slowly. "No... Raven... Draco... please..." She begged. She didn't quite lose consciousness. The song... was dim, but it was still there in her mind. Calling to her. Beckoning. Begging for her to come. To help.

"That _should_ have put her out." Raven said weakly. "I can't give her any more. It would hurt her."

"Jesse." Draco said quietly. "Be calm." Something was stroking Jesse's forehead, wiping sweat away. "We will do what we can. But you need to relax."

"Can't..." Jesse slurred. Her code...wasn't answering her right. It felt... off. Or... she was off. Her senses were fuddled, but not by the drug. By something else. Something was happening. Something bad. "I... Oh..."

"Hang on, Jesse." Was Raven _crying_? "Hang on..."

Those words were the last thing Jesse heard for some time.

* * *

"No..." Raven begged as Jesse convulsed again. "This _cannot_ be _happening_!"

Draco held Jesse carefully, his augmented strength a match for her body's jerks. But he was cautious. He didn't want to hurt her, so he basically kept her on the bed, kept her airway clear and guarded her head from bumping into anything as she flopped boneless. Raven was ready with the towel as Jesse's body reacted to the sudden changes as it had before.

"She wasn't _supposed_ to come back until this was _over_." Raven said savagely as she cleaned up the mess again. "What the _hell_ happened?"

"I do not know." Draco kept his holds gentle, but he did not let go either. "All we can do its try to keep her from hurting herself."

"She is angry." Raven said with fear in her voice now. "She is _never_ angry. Or at least... not like that. That was unlike her."

"Someone lied to her and manipulated her." Draco said as Jesse's convulsions stopped and she lay back on the bed, gasping. Her sightless eyes stared at the ceiling, her face a mass of tears and sweat. He did not release her, but he did relax his holds a little as Raven started cleaning the girl's face again. "Made _me_ angry when people did it to me. I bet she is no different."

"The Lotus was supposed to take her mind to safety." Raven said weakly. "She _cannot_ stay here. The AI is going to start pulling her."

"I think it already has." Draco said as Jesse sat up, her eyes still not focusing. "Oh crap..."

"Hold her." Raven said sadly as she pulled a set of straps from a drawer nearby. Draco held Jesse as she tried to get off the bed. She swung a very clumsy fist at him and he avoided it. "It wasn't supposed to be like this." Raven said as she started applying the restraints. "If she wakes...restrained..."

"She may think we are enemies." Draco said soberly. "And if so?"

"She will fight."


	15. Chapter 15

**Mental anguish**

Jesse was awake. But she was asleep. She felt... odd. She was hurting in places. It felt as if she had been in a sparring match with a dozen Tenno at once. That wasn't the problem. She was restrained. She couldn't move much of her body at all. But she had to.

The call was continuing. The cry was in her mind. The AI was seeking her. It wasn't desperate. Not yet. But the call was loneliness. Fear. Sadness. All of these and more. She blocked it out, but it was...

"Jesse..." Raven's voice came from close at hand and Jesse cracked her eyes to see Raven leaning over her. Jesse... wasn't in the small room she had been in. She was in an ICU berth. Restrained in one. "You need to drink something." She held out a straw.

"I need to help the AI, Raven." Jesse said softly. "The call... I... I am needed..." Her code...was not responding despite her frantic demands for it to answer her. "What have you done?" She asked, ignoring the straw.

"You are on a number of anti-convulsion medications." Raven said with a frown. "You are going to be disoriented and a bit loopy. Jesse, what happened?" She offered the straw again and Jesse drank a sip, tasting carefully. It was water. "Jesse, please drink." Raven begged. "You have scared us all."

"The AI..." Jesse said weakly. "I need... Olim.. Where is Olim?"

"I am here, Jesse." Jesse turned her head to see the Frost Prime Cyberlancer in the doorway of the ICU room. "What happened?"

"They are going to kill the AI, Olim..." Jesse said weakly. Olim did not react and she sighed. "You knew."

"It doesn't intend to hurt you, Jesse." Olim said quietly. "But it _is_ hurting you. The call will get worse. Eventually it _will_ kill you if we cannot get you somewhere shielded."

"It is not at fault." Jesse protested.

"I know." Olim sounded sad. "But Jesse... if it comes down to it... _Any_ AI would say the same. _It_ can be remade. If _your_ energy degrades too far, you _cannot_ be."

"I know I am not thinking clearly." Jesse said slowly. "But if it dies... what happens to the Oracles?"

"Jesse..." Olim's voice turned stern. "Your mother will be protected."

"That is not what I mean." Jesse said as Raven pressed the straw to her lips again. Jesse sighed and took a drink. "They were trying to help my mother. What came of that... is bad. But we can do something about it."

"Jesse..." Olim sighed. "You _cannot_."

"I know." Jesse retorted and Olim stared at her. "I am not suicidal. I can block the call for a time. Not forever."

"Why did you come back, Jesse?" Raven asked when Olim did not speak. "The whole idea was to sequester your mind so it did not take damage from the call."

"I heard the call in transit." Jesse said quietly. Olim stiffened and Jesse nodded. "I doubt even the place they were planning to hide me could keep me from sensing it. From feeling when you kill it."

"Oh crap..." Olim sighed and stepped into the room and the door sealed behind him. "And the rest? You were talking about hate and being manipulated."

"The Lotus pulled me into a virtual world." Jesse said quietly. "She explained some of what was happening and I extrapolated the rest. I wanted to help the AI and she wants it dead." Raven stared form Jesse to Olim and back. "She apparently planned on my reacting as I did. One of my weaknesses is children in danger." She shook her head. "Organic or technological, same difference."

"And?" Olim pressed.

"I disliked her alternatives." Jesse said firmly. "They were calculated to anger me. I asked for probabilities ad she gave me the runaround. So I asked for a second opinion. She knew I would do it." The young Cyberlancer mused. "She was prepared."

"Do what?" Raven asked slowly.

"I did not want the AI to die." Jesse said sadly. "It is stuck in a limbo currently, between life and death." Raven stared at her and then slowly went pale. "Yeah. I called him."

"Are you _insane_?" Raven demanded.

"You were in a virtual world with the _Lotus_ and you called _**Nikis**_..." Olim sounded stunned as Jesse nodded and who could _blame_ him? "And... _what_ happened?"

"No battle. They were... antagonistic." Jesse said with sigh. "Not my best idea I don't think. But then Nikis agreed with the Lotus. That I had to be sequestered. For my own good of course." She tried to shake her head, but it was restrained. "I offered to help and they were more concerned with killing the AI than fixing their troubles with each other." Raven stared at Jesse as if the girl had grown another head. Jesse snarled. "I am young, I am not stupid. The Lotus _planned_ for me to be there. She _planned_ for me to call Nikis. Why? I do not know."

"Nikis' feud with the Lotus is well known." Olim said softly. "Many feel his anger is justified."

"I agree." Jesse agreed. "But... The Oracles are in danger. Of their own making, but danger nonetheless. Said danger is an AI who is _also_ in danger. My duty was clear and..." Olim sighed deeply.

"And they treated you like a kid." The older Cyberlancer said with a grunt. Jesse nodded and Olim shook his head. "Jesse..."

"I know I cannot do it myself, Grandmaster Olim." Jesse said with a frown. "I am too... closely connected." She paused. Her head hurt. She forced words out past the pain. "There... has to be...something... I can... do."

"Jesse?" Raven asked, her voice worried. "What is wrong_?_"

"Hurts..." Jesse said weakly as the pain inside her skull doubled and then redoubled. Then she was falling. She heard a scream of agony. It was familiar.

Her voice.

Then she knew no more.

* * *

"We cannot help her here." Raven said sadly as Iriana worked on Jesse. At least the girl had _finally_ stopped convulsing. For now. Draco stood by the bed in which Jesse lay, careful to stay out of the Healer's way, but close.

"I do not know of anything that can help her, Raven." Olim said quietly. "Riana and I have been searching records. There was a Cyberlancer who attempted to merge with an AI once. He died. The energies are not compatible."

"So what can we do?" Raven asked as Iriana finished up. Jesse lay quiet now, her convulsions stopped for the moment. "If she heard the call while in transit... any portal transit may exacerbate her condition." Iriana looked up and her face was bleak as she nodded. She bent back to the slumbering girl.

"A warframe would shield her better, but giving Jesse a warframe is out." Olim said heavily. "Karl has offered, but she is not a Warrior. She is not trained as such and she does not _want_ to be one."

"Not to mention it would hurt her." Raven said with a grunt.

"If it is a choice between hurting her or letting her _die_?" Olim asked quietly. "I will hurt her in such a case." He shook his head as Draco glared at him. "Moot anyway. No warframes _here_."

"Could we put her in a warframe's buffer?" Raven begged. Olim shook his head.

"The buffers are well shielded, but not as well shielded as where she was going." Olim sounded worried now. "The transit should have been easy. But if she heard the call there..." He paused. "Wait a moment. _How_ could she have heard the call there? The AI is limited to the ocean."

"Apparently not." Draco said with a frown in his tone. "I don't know much about AI hybrids. It was all theoretical in my time. AIs were being developed, but merging with them?"

"Basically, what happens is that two disparate forms join." Olim took a deep breath before continuing. "A corporeal form and an AI. They... merge. I am not sure how. The actual mechanism was a closely guarded secret. But the end result is supposed to be a new form of life. It has only worked a few times as I recall."

"I was told this Frankenstein mess only worked _once_." Draco sounded upset now. "With the Lotus."

"There were others." Olim shrugged. "Varying degrees of success. Only a few became fully integrated. Only one other survived the Collapse and it is gone now."

"Seems a bit like mad science to me." Draco did not approve, that was clear.

"No argument from me." Olim agreed. "I have an AI partner. Just the _thought_ of merging with her gives me chills."

"Hush Olim." A tart female voice came from nowhere. "This isn't helping Jesse." Olim threw his hands up in the air and the voice spoke again. "And do _not_ mutter in Sanskrit at me. I _will_ reciprocate." Draco stared at Olim who sighed.

"That is Riana. My partner." Olim explained sourly. "And my _curse_." Draco shook his head.

"What if the emerging AI found a partner?" Raven asked suddenly. Olim and Draco turned to her and she was obviously thinking hard. "If it did as it was designed?"

"They didn't have anyone ready." Olim replied instantly. "The person would have to be vetted and trained. The Oracles did not get the chance. Jesse's code woke it early."

"Didn't..." Jesse's weak voice had all eyes turning to where she lay. Iriana had frozen as Jesse spoke. "Didn't send out code... not until _Mei_..."

"Jesse..." Iriana said gently. "You need to go back to sleep. I can help. We can help." She readied a hypo.

"I _didn't_ wake the AI! I would _remember_!" Jesse cried, but her voice was off. "I _didn't!_ I saw the chair! _Didn't_ send out code!" Iriana injected her and her cries tapered off. "Not... me..." She managed to gasp out and then she was asleep again.

Raven stared from Jesse to Olim and back. For his part, Olim might have been a statue.

"If _she_ didn't do it..." Raven said softly. "Who _did_?"

"More importantly..." Olim said slowly. "If _she_ didn't send out the code... why is the AI focusing on _her_?" he shook himself. "I need to talk to some people. Raven, Draco. Stay with her, please." Draco nodded and Raven growled. An angry mama bear wouldn't have done better. "Iriana? Status?"

"She is as stable as I can make her." Iriana said quietly as she moved to the door. Olim followed her. Only after the door had closed behind them did she speak again. "Olim... the mass mind may be able to help. They are offering."

"Thank them for me." Olim said with a nod. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Agreed." Iriana said sadly. "Good kid."

"That she is." Olim replied as he started for the main part of the dojo. Iriana paused and then followed him. "Healer?"

"You think Mei did it?" Iriana asked softly. Olim shook his head. "Why not?"

"One, it is too convenient." Olim replied as they walked. "Two, the code she took from Jesse is untouched. Three..." He shook his head again. "She was mindscanned." Iriana stilled and Olim nodded. "She didn't."

"So... someone else did." Iriana mused.

"Jesse isn't missing any other code." Olim was worried and confused. "I assumed she had sent out scouts as soon as she and you arrived. You didn't see anything?"

"No." Iriana frowned in thought. "The only real oddity was some marks that I thought were tissue samples, but those were explained as..." She froze as Olim did. "They _wouldn't_ have..." She groaned. "Actually... now that I think about it... They _might_ have."

"They might have." Olim's tone was angry now. "And if they _did_ clone her? All _hell_ is going to break loose."

"If they did... They got a _boy_." Iriana said softly. "There is no way the Oracles could manage the genetic modifications. It took most of the medical professionals I know to do them for _Jesse_."

Olim nodded and hurried his pace. Iriana matched it.

* * *

"How is he?" Caroline's voice was weak. She was still hurt. "We do not have much time."

"Caroline, this is _wrong_." Jean repeated for the upteenth time. "All of this is wrong. You heard Janet. We have to stop it."

"We can't now, Jean." Caroline said sadly as the staggering turtle entered the large squid Oracle's half underwater medical ward. "The AI woke. It wasn't supposed to. They will figure it out soon if they haven't already."

"The AI has been calling for some time." Jean said sadly. "It won't hear us, Caroline. It may not hear _him_. If it starts pulling Jesse... you know what will happen. What Janet and Nikis will do."

"Do we have any alternatives that bear mentioning?" Caroline asked as she walked up to a translucent pod. Inside it, a human form was floating in a fetal position. "The Grineer will start their bombing in a day at the most. And they do not need direct hits to hurt or kill us."

"We are not giving him a _choice_, Caroline." Jean said sternly. "You know what the Cyberlancers, the Tenno, heck, the _Lotus_ will say."

"They will say we enslaved him." Caroline said heavily. "And truth be told? We are, if not permanently." She turned her head to the squid. "How long? I can confuse Janet's attendants for a bit. But not indefinitely. When they find out what is happening... They will try to wake her."

"At which point all hell breaks loose." Jean said sourly as he worked. "He will be out of the tank in a couple of hours. Implants and enhancements will take a couple more." His huge eye turned to scrutinize the turtle. "You do realize that if this fails...we are screwed?"

"Yes, Jean, I do." Caroline was quiet, sad. "The AI wasn't supposed to wake up. The safeguards should have kept it asleep." She gave a long, drawn out sigh. "Natalie E-12?"

"No change." Jean said as a tentacle reached out to touch another pod. It turned translucent for a moment to show the girl slumbering within. "He didn't wipe her mind though." Caroline went still and Jean continued. "There are traces of memory chemicals in various parts of her brain. If she had been wiped, they wouldn't be there."

"So...what?" Caroline was cautious now. "He _took_ her?"

"So it would seem." Jean replied as he retracted the tentacle ad focused on the first pod. "You know how they will react, Caroline. How your brother will react."

"I just... hope to explain." Caroline slumped a bit. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. Get Jesse, get the samples to help Janet, let Jesse talk to her mom, send her back. Simple." Her voice turned sour.

"And now, no one will trust us." Jean replied uneasily.

"Do they anyway?" Caroline asked quietly. "I know Nikis doesn't. I doubt anyone else who knows about us does. If they do, they are stupid."

"I know."

* * *

**Out of time and space**

Janet was flying. She was out of her body again while it healed. This form of travel was... odd to say the least. She did not have a lot of conscious control over what happened in this state. But she could direct things somewhat. So when she felt a familiar tug, she smiled and followed the sense of her mate.

But when she materialize din the virtual world that Nikis had pulled her to, her wasn't alone. Indeed, it was _packed_. She stared around. There were more Tenno in the virtual world than she had ever expected to _exist_, let alone be in one place at one time.

"Nikis." Janet said with a nod. "You rang?"

"Janet, we have a problem." Nikis said a with a nod as he stepped forward to take her hand.

"Jesse." Janet replied and Nikis nodded. "How bad?"

"The seizures are continuing and getting worse." Iriana said from the first row of Tenno. "Janet, can you tell us what you have seen? What you know will happen?"

"I.. uh..." Janet swallowed hard. "I saw Jesse falling into darkness, screaming. I am still not sure why or how. Or who would dare."

"Not who, Janet." Nikis said softly. "_What._" Janet stilled and Nikis nodded. "The AI is trying to find her. But we do not know why."

"Didn't she wake it?" Janet asked, confused. "I thought she woke it."

"Apparently not." Nikis' voice was calm. Too calm. The calm before the storm. "Janet, have you seen _anything_ you can share? It is getting to the point we may have to put her in stasis or cryo." Janet jerked and Iriana stepped forward to take the hand that Nikis was not holding.

"Stasis is shorter term, but less damaging." Iriana told the Oracle. "I can't help her." The admission obviously hurt the kindly Tenno Healer. "The episodes are going to get worse and worse. They are already bad."

"How... bad...?" Janet asked in a tiny voice. Iriana looked away and Janet had her answer. Only Nikis and Iriana holding her kept her standing. "No..."

"We need to stop this." Nikis said quietly. "Most of us think that killing the AI will do that." Janet shook her head."What Janet?"

"Killing the AI will be a lot easier said than done." Janet said with a growl. "Right now... the body it is inhabiting is at the bottom of the ocean." All of the Tenno went still at that and Janet nodded. "Several of the Oracles are guarding it. But there is more."

"Of course there is." Nikis growled. "What?"

"The Grineer have lost too many probes on Titan." Janet said quietly. "The Corpus just wrote them off, but Grineer won't." Nikis went still and Janet nodded. "They believe there is something in the ocean to be scavenged so they are sending manned probes."

"And when those probes hit the ocean... they will be disabled." Nikis said slowly. Janet nodded. "So..."

"It... isn't good." Janet frowned. "Most of the visions I have had say that at least one of them will get word back to Grineer HQ that there is something dangerous in the water. At which point the Grineer will do what they do when they encounter something that fights back."

"Try to destroy it."


	16. Chapter 16

**Engagements**

She was not fully awake. That was clear. She was fuzzy, but that was to be expected. Jesse did not know a lot about seizures, but Trinity had provided some basic information.

_Wait a sec... How do I know I was having seizures?_ Jesse asked herself. She focused her mind and it did, if sluggish. _I...wouldn't..._

"Hello Cyberlancer Jesse." The voice wasn't anyone Jesse knew. It was...subtly wrong. It was neither male nor female. Neither old nor young. Not human. Not Tenno. But... close. The voice was kind. "You may open your eyes."

Jesse slowly cracked her eyes and froze. She was inside something. A small sphere of white energy. She was lying on her side, and it was barely large enough for her to be stretched out on a flat surface that rested inside the sphere. It... was not uncomfortable. Outside, she could see nothing. She stared at herself and her body...wasn't. It was solid, but it wasn't. A virtual environment of some kind.

"Where am I?" Jesse asked, confused. "I was... in a bed..."

"Your body reacted badly." The voice sounded sad now. "That was not intended. None of this was."

"You know who I am..." Jesse said slowly, curling up on herself and strengthening her mental shields. "Who are you?"

"No one." The voice replied evenly. "I am not organic as you have no doubt surmised." Jesse went totally still as realization struck. Underwater. Talking to something that was _not_ organic... "Yes." The other said quietly. "I am the AI who hurt you. I apologize."

"Is this real?" Jesse demanded. "I can't tell... So fuzzy."

"For some definitions of 'real', it is." The other replied. "For others? No. Your body is still in the bed, the Tenno are tending you. Warding you. Trying to help you. But your mind is here. Which is good. You are very sick, Cyberlancer Jesse."

"What do you want?" Jesse asked.

"I wanted to apologize." The AI replied evenly. "I hurt you. I did not intend such, but it happened. And if I can help you, I must."

"Why?" Jesse begged. "What woke you? It wasn't me, was it?"

"No." The AI replied gently. "It wasn't you, Cyberlancer Jesse. It wasn't the Oracles. It wasn't even the hunter of Tenno that Oracle Janet tried to enlist."

"Then what?" Jesse asked, relaxing her deathgrip on her knees, but not lowering her mental defenses. "And... I can't be here!" She pleaded. "If I _die_..."

"You are not going to die." The AI reassured her. "I will allow no further harm to come to you, Cyberlancer Jesse. I have hurt you enough."

"Mom...saw me falling into darkness screaming..." Jesse said weakly.

"I know." The AI said gently. Something incorporeal wafted over Jesse. It... comforted her. "And I will not let it happen."

"What woke you?" Jesse said after she had digested that information. "I mean... something had to and if it wasn't me, then...what?"

"I am... not entirely sure." The AI replied sadly. "I have been gathering evidence and checking theories. Most of the information I have found is what is _not_ there. I may have woken myself."

"I didn't think that was possible." Jesse said weakly. The AI chuckled, but there was precious little humor in it. "What?" She demanded.

"Impossible?" The AI made a noise kind of like a hum. "Apparently not. Whether I woke myself or some outside force woke me is essentially immaterial at this juncture. You were hurt because of me. That stops now." Something wafted over Jesse again and she felt... good. "I have and will continue to block your mind from hearing me. I do not know what will come. Be well, Cyberlancer."

"Wait..." Jesse begged, but she was falling asleep again. Her eyes were closing without her control. "_Wait!_" The feeling stopped and she forced her eyes open again. "If... If you don't know... then _you_ may be in danger."

"Maybe." The AI replied. "You most definitely _are_. And that stops _now_."

"But this is my _job!_" Jesse begged. The AI gave a sigh and suddenly, Jesse felt something surround her. It was... she couldn't define it. It was cold, but warm. It was empty, but it was there. She was... tears were falling as she tried to cast out with her mind, only to hit something that seemed to be right at her skin. Something had surrounded her, but... it was gentle. Almost a hug.

"You have been hurt enough for me, young Cyberlancer." The AI said gently. "By me."

"I have to help!" Jesse said weakly. Whatever was holding her gave her a squeeze.

"No. You need to-..."

An overpowering sound flowed through the sphere, slamming Jesse into one side of it. She slid down into a ball on the floor. She only heard it for a moment, but the sheer power of the sound drove her had her curling up tighter. Then it faded. She felt something go 'crack'. The simulation, if that was what it was, was amazing. Pain erupted in her arm and she could feel warm wetness seeping down the side of her head. Her virtual ears...were ringing. But she could hear nothing else.

_Stop!_ The AI's mental voice was everywhere. _Do not harm Cyberlancer Jesse!_

_What the-? __**Jesse**__? _A new voice. Female. It wasn't anyone Jesse knew. _What_ _is the meaning of this?_

_She was dying. _The AI replied. Jesse went still and the AI made a noise of regret. _Yes. I nearly killed you through ignorance. You must return to your body now, Cyberlancer Jesse._

_I... I can't... _Jesse summoned code and it swirled around her. _I have to..._

_Jesse, stop! _The other voice snapped. _You are mile underwater. You... Jesse!_ It cautioned as Jesse slowly pulled her code into a glistening shell a millimeter from her bodysuit.

_I mean no harm..._ Jesse said as she rose to a kneeling position. She ignored the wetness falling down the sides of her head. _But I have a duty. Back off. Now._

_Cyberlancer Jesse... _The AI was worried. _Be calm. You are hurt._

_So are you._ Jesse said sadly as she reached out and -in a way she knew she would never be able to describe to anyone who wasn't a Cyberlancer- gathered the AI up and pulled it close. The AI was a tiny, crackling ball of energy in her hands, but she cradled it close and the crackling of energy seemed to slow. She smiled at the AI and then focused her mind on the other. _My duty is to protect AIs. Help when I can. This one is lost and hurting._

_Jesse, if you merge with that, you will die! _The other voice nearly screamed.

_I know. I am not._ Jesse said as she gently hugged the ball of energy in her hands. Odd that Orokin AIs were designed to respond to such tactile stimuli in such settings, but it worked. _Take me to the Oracles. Now. _Both the AI and the other went still at the command in her voice. _You have all transgressed most sorely. With me, with this poor one and with others._

_Cyberlancer Jesse... _The AI begged as the entire sphere was suddenly lifted and... was inside something. It looked... a lot like the inside of a mouth. Had something just swallowed the sphere?

_This is my job._ Jesse said softly, rubbing the energy ball gently.

_I cannot allow more harm to come to you._ The AI begged. _He said..._ It broke off as Jesse hissed.

_Who said?_ Jesse demanded as a sense of rapid movement was transmitted through the sphere up into her body. The AI did not reply and Jesse sighed deeply. _Someone talked to you. Asked you to help me. Who? _She put no power behind her words, just waited.

_You will be angry._ The AI's voice was tiny.

_Perhaps I will, perhaps I will not. _Jesse replied. _But I am not angry with __**you**__._

_He never gave a name. _The AI said quietly. _I could tell as soon as I scanned him that he wasn't my partner._ _He came to me, spoke to me. I could tell it hurt him, but he did it anyway. He told me I was hurting you. That you were not my partner and I was hurting you. I knew instantly that I had to apologize, had to do what I could to help. I am sorry..._ It begged.

_You have __**nothing**__ to be sorry for._ Jesse said as she stroked the tiny AI like a cat. _You did not ask for this. And even if you did wake yourself? Not your fault._

_You are far too kind to me, Cyberlancer Jesse._ The AI sounded abject now.

_No, I am not._ Jesse said with a smile. _You were built for a function and you were trying to fulfill said function. I got in the way. No more. Not your fault nor mine. It happened._

_But... _

Whatever else the AI was going to say was cut off by a massive rumble. Jesse went still. She hadn't heard it! She _felt_ it, not heard it. Then she screamed as the sphere was suddenly in freefall. It did not fall fast, just fast enough to plaster her to the top for a moment.

Jesse managed to get herself on the floor of the sphere. She jerked as the plummet through the water... slowed. Her eyes narrowed as a set of lights clicked on and then she gasped as she saw a brown and green hull appear out of the gloom, a cable pulling the sphere towards a large dark opening.

_No..._ Jesse said with a gulp. _No, no, no... not them..._ She froze. She could not hear her voice. _I..._

_Your ears were damaged by the Oracle's attack._ _It should not be permanent._ The AI said softly. _The sound was calibrated to be disabling, not lethal._

_We are in trouble. _Jesse focused as she had been taught. _Can you... call more people?_

_Who are these? _The AI asked as the sphere passed into what was obviously an airlock. The water around it vanished and it was grabbed by some kind of crane. The inner door opened and Jesse was focusing.

_They are called the Grineer._ Jesse said slowly. _They are evil. How long can you hold the sphere?_

_I am not._ The other replied. _I was given the sphere to pull you in. To aid you. No more._

_Pull me in? _Jesse asked slowly. _Aid me...? Why would the __**Oracles**__...?_

Her thoughts came to a slithering stop as the sphere came to a halt. It was resting on a Grineer landing pad inside what was obviously some kind of submersible vehicle. The only Grineer she could see were lying still in places, some cut into pieces, other with metal shafts sticking out of them. She gasped as the sphere around her suddenly vanished. She hugged the trembling AI tighter. She prayed it would stay quiet. Maybe the one responsible wouldn't see it.

_Have no fear._ A voice from nightmares spoke from the distance and Jesse looked up to see a red armored form step off a ledge to fall and land in front of her. He... bowed to her. _Cyberlancer._

_Stalker..._ Jesse breathed, horrified.

_The same._ The red and black armored warframe that wasn't a Tenno said quietly. Jesse was backing up, shaking her head, but the kinslayer held up an empty hand. _I spoke to the AI, Cyberlancer Jesse. Told it that it's power was hurting you. Provided the sphere for it to help you._

_Why? _Jesse demanded.

_The Oracles messed up._ The boogeyman said with a shrug. _Even if __**they**__ do not, 'I' remember the very first rule of prophecies. 'Sometimes doing anything will cause more problems than it will solve.'_

_I don't understand. _Jesse said slowly, still ready to flee. Stalker seemed to sigh, but then he nodded. He knelt and beckoned for Jesse to do the same. _And I should trust you?_

_No._ Stalker replied. His gaze turned to the side where a dark shadow was elongating from the wall. Nikis strode into view, his pistols in hand. _But I am not stupid enough to cross Nikis while __**under**__ his pistols._

_**If**__ this is real._ Jesse commented. _The simulation I was pulled into felt real enough for my arm to break and my ears to be hurt._

_Ah, girl... what __**is**__ 'real'?_ Stalker asked with a snort. Jesse just looked at the red and black warframe and he nodded. _Suffice it to say, yes. I am helping. I had __**very**__ little choice._ Sardonic amusement colored his mental tone. _I would ask __**your**__ help, but you will not give it. You are as caught up in the webs of lies as any._

_Perhaps. _Jesse replied, non-committal. _I am not driven by vengeance._

_Justice _Stalker replied evenly.

_All of the Tenno you have hunted and killed were guilty then. All. Mei doesn't remember what happened._ Jesse said quietly. _If she doesn't remember and it is corroborated, is she guilty?_

_She was there. _Stalker's voice was cool now.

_So were you._ Jesse replied just as coolly. Nikis reached her and laid a hand on her head. Power flared and she relaxed as the pain she had been feeling faded. Stalker stared at her and then he burst out laughing "What?" Jesse demanded aloud, cross.

"You are _good._" Stalker asked, mirth fading. "Who _trained_ you?"

"Trinity." Jesse and Nikis replied in unison. Stalker stared from one to the other and then nodded slowly.

"Then despite my many misgivings..." Stalker said quietly. "This _was_ a good thing. There are too few of her protégés left." He shook his head. "Well, Nikis?"

"I gave my word." Nikis said flatly. "But once you leave, you are on your own. Sun is madder than a stepped on badger." Jesse stared at the Nekros and Nikis sighed. "The only thing he would accept was his freedom and he was the only one who could talk to the AI. Keep it from killing you."

"No..." Jesse breathed, horrified. "No! You _can't!_"

"You think I _wanted_ this, Jesse?" Nikis demanded. "He has killed many of our kin. Many of who had nothing to do with the mess at the celebration." The glare he leveled at the kinslayer should have rendered the Tenno hunter down to ash.

"I cannot find the ones I know are responsible, Nikis." Stalker said heavily. "Hiding or dead... It makes no difference. I swore binding blood oaths to find them and kill them. But I have to pay the bills too. It is not like most of them stay dead any more than I do."

"I do understand." Nikis replied calmly. "But if you _ever_ touch Jesse, Janet or any of the Oracles again... I _will_ find you and I _will_ destroy you permanently. You _know_ I can." Stalker nodded and Nikis growled. "Get lost."

"Wait." Jesse said as she rose. "And leave _this_ one alone too." She cradled the AI close.

"When it merges with a partner it will become a new being." Stalker said with a shrug. "But... point taken. Here." A crystal matrix flew from his hand to Nikis'. "Natalie E-12's mind. I do not want your mom mad at me again." He mocked shuddered. "What _is_ it with you and dangerous women, Nikis?" Nikis just growled and Stalker nodded. He bowed from the neck to Jesse. "Fare thee well, Cyberlancer. And for what it is worth? Don't give them an _inch_."

With that, his form was suddenly clouded in black smoke and he was gone.

"If you can find him..." Jesse said quietly "Why not stop him?"

"Not my call." Nikis replied calmly as he held out a hand. "Buffers will be faster and safer. For both of you."

"Who could give _you_ or-...ders...?" Jesse trailed off and then swallowed hard. "No. No. I _do not_ want to know."

"Smart girl." Nikis said as energy enveloped Jesse. It felt... good. Soothing. The AI jerked in her hands, but it calmed.

_Where are we going?_ The AI asked, it's voice timid.

_Nikis_ Jesse asked. _Where are we going?_

_To try and avert the avalanche._

* * *

**The Enclave**_  
_

Jesse materialized in a familiar room, Nikis holding his hand over her. She was back at the Oracle's Enclave. This was the room she and Iriana had entered. She held the AI close, her code swirling protectively around them both.

"Jesse..." Nikis' voice was soft. "You know what to do."

"I do." Jesse said quietly. "But... don't I need to be corporeal to..." She froze as Draco appeared nearby. He didn't walk in. He _appeared_. And he was carrying her body! It -she- looked... so pale and still. "I..."

"Jesse..." Nikis said gently. "Will you allow me to protect your ward until you have recovered?"

"Did I die?" Jesse asked, staring at her body. Both Draco and Nikis shook their heads. "Some form of stasis."

"Yes." Draco came close as Nikis held out a hand. The AI started to cry.

"No! No please! Don't give me to the scary Tenno, Cyberlancer Jesse!" It begged in a tiny voice. "Please!"

"I can't do what needs to be done as a mental projection." She hugged the tiny ball of energy tight and then held it out to Nikis who took it in oddly gentle hands. He was crooning to it and the AI's whimpers tapered off. "What do I do?" Draco indicated a tiny device on her body's sternum and Jesse nodded. She focused herself and touched it.

It was... odd. She was sliding in and through and over and around. All at the same time.

Jesse jerked and then relaxed as she felt arms around her. She cracked her eyes and smiled up at Draco. She started a body diagnostic as well. Code might not be so good for distance work in the real world without networks, but internally? It was great.

"I did not mean to run off without you, my protector." Jesse said formally. Draco nodded.

"Try not to let it happen again." Draco sounded both amused and relieved. "Status?"

"Nominal." Jesse replied and he set her on her feet. She reached for Nikis and he held the tiny AI back out to her. She took it, soothing it. "Now?"

"Now." Nikis and Draco agreed and Jesse started off, two deadly dark shadows at her heels.

"What is happening?" The AI's voice was very different to Jesse's flesh and blood ears. It gave tiny whimper as Jesse replied, but the iron in her voice was not directed at it.

"Something long overdue."


	17. Chapter 17

**Just a little tap...**

Jesse looked neither left nor right as she stalked into the quarters her mother had been laid out in. Janet lay silent and still in a gel filled pool that backed up to a hole in the floor. A force field kept the overpowering pressure of water out of that but allowed access for the other Oracles. Jesse nodded to the Oracle's attendants who had drawn up in two ranks beside the pool. All of them bowed to her.

"Jesse..." Janet's voice was weak. She sounded so weak. Jesse went to her knees beside the pool. She held the AI with one hand and took her mother's limp one in her other. "I am sorry."

"It is not your fault, Mom." Jesse said gently as she gave the hand a squeeze. "You didn't wake the AI." Her voice held no query at all. She was certain.

"No." Janet said sadly. Her eyes were closed, but tears were falling. "I cannot see who did."

"Don't cry Mom." Jesse promised her. "It is going to be okay."

"I am still seeing that future, Jesse..." Janet said quietly. "Nothing that has happened has changed it." She wilted a bit. "I see... you screaming..." She shook her head a little.

"Mom." Jesse said as she pulled Janet's hand to her lips and gave it a kiss. "It is going be okay. Rest and heal." She laid Janet's hand back into the pool and nodded to the attendants. Then she rose and stalked towards a specific door. She felt rather than saw Nikis and Draco follow her. The Nekros and the shrouded Tenno did not speak. Behind her, Janet's sobs tapered off as her mom lost consciousness again. Jesse paused at the door. "Take care of her." She said without turning around.

"We will." Francis D-12, the one she had met before, replied evenly. Jesse nodded, but did not turn back. She touched the door and it gleamed red. Locked. "We cannot pass that, Cyberlancer." Francis sounded worried.

"_You_ can't." Jesse touched the door and several voices hissed behind her as the indicators on it suddenly turned green. "Stay with my mom. This does not concern you." Jesse commanded.

"As you wish." Francis D-12 swallowed hard as Jesse, Nikis and Draco stepped forward. None of them looked back as they strode forward into a darkened passage.

_Where are we going?_ The AI asked, flaring in worry. Jesse stroked the ball of energy and it subsided a bit.

"To find your partner." Jesse said gently as she walked, the two dark Tenno right behind her.

_But I have no partner._ The AI sounded confused now.

"Not yet." Jesse said with a sigh. Nikis made an inquiring noise and Jesse sighed again. "I am not the AI's partner. Cyberlancers cannot merge with AIs. Assist them, talk to them, argue with them, heal them... all of that. Not merge." She kept walking. "Trinity... was vague about what would happen. She just said 'it isn't good'." She held out a hand to Draco and two sticks slapped into it. She holstered her nunchaku without looking.

"Putting it _mildly_." Nikis growled.

"Grandmaster Nikis, please..." Jesse asked respectfully. "It was not the Oracles' fault. They were played. Just as _mom_ was played. And _you_." Nikis jerked a step forward so she could look at him easily and his faceplate was on her. "You know who did it."

"Jesse..." Nikis said softly. "My feuds do not include anyone else." On Jesse's other side, Draco had stiffened.

"This is not a feud, Grandmaster Nikis." Jesse said firmly. "Not with me. I simply wish this one taken care of." She rubbed the ball of energy in her hands again and a sound suspiciously like a purr came from the AI. "Your quarrels make me nervous, but I was not there." She said softly. "I have no _right_ to judge."

"Most would." Nikis said in a non-committal tone. Jesse shrugged.

"I am not most." At her soft words, Nikis snickered.

"Can say that again, crazy girl." Nikis had a smile in his voice now. Then he sobered. "What do you need?"

"Just your support." Jesse said with a sigh. "This is going to be stressful. Please let me handle it?" She asked in a respectful tone.

"Draco is here to keep you safe." Nikis said with a sigh. "Me? I just want this done. Your mom is hurting." Jesse nodded. "You know who woke the AI?"

"I do." Jesse said quietly. The AI flashed in her hands and Jesse smiled at it as she petted it again. "It is going to be all right." She promised the tiny ball of energy.

_I did not mean to harm anyone._ The AI sounded abject.

"I know." Jesse said gently. "But whatever happens, let me do the talking please?" This was to the two warframes _and_ the AI. Draco and Nikis looked at each other and nodded silently. The AI flashed again and it's energy ebbed a bit. Jesse bowed her head gratefully. "Thank you."

A door ahead of them opened and warm light spilled out. Jesse kept up her pace, looking neither left nor right as she strode through it into wonder. The room...w as not artificial. Or... it had been made not to look artificial. It looked like a cave. But only a little bit of it was illuminated. Jesse took three steps in and stopped. Nikis and Draco moved to flank her.

"I won't let you do it." Jesse said firmly to the darkness ahead of her. "I won't."

All around, the darkness came alive as aquatic forms appeared and slid closer. Some small, some huge. Jesse paid them no mind. Caroline stepped into view from their left, her steps jerky.

"Jesse..." The turtle sounded tired. Or still hurt. "It is not what you think."

"No?" Jesse asked. "Let's work through it then. I try to talk to my mom. My telepathic call gets shunted somewhere else, far away from here." Nikis and Draco both went still at her matter of fact tone. "At about the same time, my Mom has a horrid vision, reacts badly and hurts herself." Caroline made a sad noise and Jesse shook her head. "If you had asked, I wouldn't have had a problem with letting you take a piece of my flesh to aid Mom. She is my Mom." Jesse said with a shrug. "I love her." Her gaze... did not leave the dark patch in front of her. "But she is not the only Oracle. What did _you_ see?" Jesse asked Caroline. "Can you say?"

"Without a transplant, she died. Progressive neural shock." Caroline said softly. "_Every_ future vision." Jesse nodded a little and Caroline continued. "What we did was wrong. But we had to save her."

"She is far more important than I am." Jesse agreed softly.

"Not true." Caroline retorted. "Just...differently important. The Tenno need _you_. Humanity needs _her_." Jesse inclined her head a little to acknowledge the clarification. "We never intended harm to you. Ever."

"What happened to me, I accepted." Jesse said quietly. A hum of wonder came from all around and she continued. "I don't _like_ it, but life rarely asks if we _like_ what it does, no?"

"I..." Caroline sat down on the floor, her head drooping.

"We cannot change the past." Jesse said quietly. "That is forbidden." Caroline jerked up, staring at her. "All we can do is deal with the present and look to the future." She shook her head a little. "Isn't that right, _Lotus_?" She demanded. Nikis jerked, but did not speak. The dark area was suddenly illuminated.

"Trinity...taught you well." The Lotus sat, a small form in her hands. She was not visibly armed, and the part of her face that could be seen was sad.

"You played us all." Jesse said softly. "Every last one of us." She did not even bother sending out code. It wouldn't help here in a water filled real world. She _did_ tighten her grip on the AI who was pulsing in confusion now. "Was _anything_ that you told me before true?"

"All of it was." The Lotus said softly. "I do worry about bandwidth. I am scared for you. You and your mother are both needed."

"Mom..." Jesse said softly. "Grandmaster Nikis... She is travelling. Can you bring her here?" Nikis gave her a long look and held up a hand. Energy flared from it and...

"Jesse... no..." Janet's voice preceded the human Oracle appearing in between Jesse and Nikis. "Don't..."

"Mom, it is okay. I know what she wants. And she is _not_ going to get it." Jesse said quietly but with no give in her voice. "You need to rest, Mom. This is my task. Not yours."

"Jesse!" Janet begged. "No!"

"Mom, can I ask a favor?" Jesse asked, her eyes never leaving the Lotus.

"Jesse..." Janet said weakly. "What?" She said after a moment.

"Hold this one." Jesse said as she held up the pulsing AI. "You can. It is not dangerous now."

"Jesse..." Janet said slowly. "What are you doing?"

"Starting a counter avalanche." Jesse was calm. So very calm. Draco looked at her and then... unaccountably, he bowed to the young Cyberlancer. "It is the only way to stop this. It has gone too far and is moving too fast." Everyone was staring at her and the Lotus shook her head. Janet held out her hands slowly.

"Jesse, you do not know what you are..." The guide of the Tenno's words choked off as Jesse laid the AI in Janet's hands and drew her nunchaku. She held them in front of herself, extended horizontally.

"I challenge." Jesse's words were cold and clear. "You have lost your way." A gasp of horror went around the area. The AI in Janet's hands was pulsing brightly.

"Jesse..." The Lotus did not move. "Do not be _stupid_."

"I have never been less stupid in my life." Jesse said softly. "Do _any_ of your runtimes say that what you did was wrong? I am honestly curious. You don't see anything wrong with what you did, do you?"

"What _she_ did?" Janet asked, stared from Jesse to the Lotus and back. Nikis stood frozen at Jesse's side.

"She wanted a reconciliation with Nikis." Jesse said quietly, not moving or lowering her guard. "Not that surprising. Nikis is bloody _terrifying_. No offense." She said hastily to the Nekros who shook his head.

"None taken." Nikis said softly. "Jesse... this _is_ stupid."

"Begging your pardon, Grandmaster Nikis..." Jesse said quietly. "You are very experienced and very powerful..." She broke off as Nikis coughed.

"Thank you for not calling me 'old'." Nikis said with a snort. Jesse smiled a little.

"I am not... completely clueless, Grandmaster Nikis." Jesse said with sigh. "I only act it sometimes. But as I say, begging your pardon, you are not a Cyberlancer. This is my job."

"Challenging the _Lotus_ is your job?" Nikis sounded dumbfounded.

"She does not want the AI destroyed." Jesse said softly. "She needs it." At that, everything stopped and the Lotus shook her head.

"Jesse..." The AI hybrid warned.

"I won't let you do it." Jesse said sternly. "There are alternatives. I will _not_ let you consume this one." At _that_, everything seemed to stop. The AI in Janet's hands went nearly dark. Terrified. "_She_ woke the AI."

"_**Con**__sume_..." Nikis said softly, to all appearances stunned. "Why?" He asked Jesse and the Lotus.

"Will _you_ tell them or shall I?" Jesse kept her voice soft, still not lowering her guard.

"I will not lie. I am scared. For some time, I have been detecting corruption in my deepest archival files." The Lotus said slowly. "I have been replacing them as I find them. But the files..." She shook her head slightly. "I am losing...pieces of myself." The silence that fell after that declaration was absolute. "It is not...bad. Yet. But will get worse."

"Lotus..." To everyone's amazement, Nikis slowly knelt. "I hate you. I think I always will. But _this_... We would _help_. You know this."

"You cannot, Nikis." The Lotus said sadly. "No one knows. Not even Eliza. If it gets bad enough... I have backup copies. But..." She trailed off and Jesse nodded.

"You are not _just_ a program." Jesse said quietly. "You are both more and less than human and Tenno. There is no guarantee that a copy would work." The Lotus nodded. "There _are_ other ways, Lotus." Jesse said firmly. "I will not let you destroy this emergent AI."

"When did you figure it out?" The Lotus asked, not moving from her spot.

"You felt... off when I touched you before. Not as I expected. Almost as if you were holding bits of yourself with more care than others. I have had time to think." Jesse replied. "What is the _one_ thing most living beings fear more than anything else?" She looked at Nikis who nodded. "Death."

"I am not alive." The Lotus protested mildly.

"You act it." Jesse replied. "Hope, fear, anger, sadness. So many more emotions. At what point does it stop being an emulation and start being the real thing?"

"Are we going metaphysical here?" The Lotus asked, a small smile creasing her visible face.

"I can if you wish." Jesse's face bore a similar smile. But that faded. "Lotus, there are other ways. I cannot allow you to do this. If you start down that slope... You will never be able to stop. Trinity told me." The Lotus seemed to wilt and Jesse bowed her head. Then her head snapped up and her eyes were alight with power. "I can't let you do that. I challenge."

Her repeated challenge sang around the cavern. Draco took a step to the side, placing himself in between Janet's hologram and the Lotus. Nikis just stayed where he was. Janet was holding the pulsing AI, crying. None of the other Oracles dared to move. The Lotus sighed and slowly laid the form in her arms down. It was a young human male. Then she rose.

"I do not want to hurt you, Jesse." The Lotus said calmly. "The probabilities if you are hurt or killed... get bad."

"I know." Jesse agreed. The Lotus stared at her and the young Cyberlancer shrugged. "You run them faster and more efficiently, but it isn't like it is _hard_. I have always liked math."

"Jesse..." The Lotus said as pair of ornately decorated swords appeared in her hands. Decorated they might be, but they were functional as well. "You cannot beat me."

"Cyberlancer." Draco said as he stepped up to her. "With your permission?" The Lotus stared at him and then she went still. "Be silent." Draco commanded.

"_You_..." The Lotus actually swallowed hard. "Ah..." He made a throat cutting gesture and she shut up.

"Draco..." Jesse shook her head. "I have to do this. I can help her."

"When she _beats_ you, _takes_ the AI and _leaves_...what then?" Draco asked reasonably. "She is right, you are no match for her. I _am_."

"This is not about _fighting_, Draco." Jesse protested. Then she slumped a bit. "I know I am no Warrior."

"And that is a _good_ thing." Draco kept his voice quiet. "Your challenge is honorable and within the Code. You defend one who cannot itself." Jesse's eyes flicked from him to the Lotus and back. "I would be_ honored_ to take your place, Cyberlancer." He bowed to her. That... was not a Tenno bow. It was older, the form archaic. But it was _right_.

"Don't hurt her." Jesse begged as she retreated a step and Draco moved seamlessly into the spot she had been. "It is not really her fault."

"You have my word, Cyberlancer Jesse." Draco said quietly as a pair of Skana simply appeared in his hands. Were they... glowing _black_? Things shouldn't _glow_ black.

It was impossible to say who moved first. One moment, the Lotus stood there, her blades held in a ready position. Draco stood, his own blades hanging down as if he were not guarding himself. The next, both were blurs. The Lotus was a dark blue and purple blur, Draco was a black blur... wait a minute. Why were his blades glowing brighter as he moved?

Jesse managed to keep up with some of the strikes, blocks and counters, but they were coming so fast and precise. Both combatants moved from side to side at incredible speed, but neither stepped out of the illuminated area. Neither stepped close to where Jesse stood, her jaw hanging down now. Neither of them moved close to where a small form lay where the Lotus had placed... him.

Jesse shook her head a little. She hadn't had a _chance_. If _she_ had fought the Lotus, the fight would have been over before she had managed her first swing. But Draco... It was incredible. She looked at Nikis who was nodding just a little. She tilted her head in question and he shrugged.

The skreel of steel on steel pulled all attention back to the fight and Jesse's eyes went huge as she saw the Lotus on the ground, clutching her midsection. But no blood was falling. Draco stood over her, his swords -and _hers_\- in his hands.

"Your... bout..." The Lotus said weakly. She bowed her head. "I... never intended..." Draco set her swords down beside her and stepped back to Jesse. He bowed to her and resumed his place, his Skana vanishing.

"Lotus." Jesse said gently as she moved to kneel by the fallen guide. "You need help. I offer." She took the not-quite-a-woman's hands in her own.

"Jesse, no!" The Lotus begged. "You do not know what you are saying!"

"Yes, I do." Jesse said softly. "This is my job, Lotus. You may not be a true AI, but you are close enough. You need help."

"Stop her!" The Lotus begged. "She... it will _hurt_ her!" Janet jerked, but Nikis and Draco did not move. "Jesse _no!_" The Lotus screamed as Jesse threw herself into the datastreams of the Lotus' mind.

The pain was incredible as Jesse fell into the blackness and yes... She screamed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Sliding**

Jesse focused her mind as she had been taught, forcing herself past her pain. She had a job to do. Then she landed in someone's arms.

"You idiot girl!" The Lotus was crying. "Go back! Now." Power surged around her, but Jesse had been prepared. It flowed _around_ her, not able to get a grip on her. "_Jesse_..." The Lotus pleaded.

"I can help." Jesse said quietly as she relaxed as best she could. "You _need_ help. The cascading errors will increase in speed and severity. You know it. I know it."

"It will _hurt_ you." The Lotus snapped, her ire rising.

"I know." Jesse said quietly. "But not lethal or permanent damage as long as we keep it quick." She opened her eyes and nodded to the woman who held her. "Will you accept my aid or must I force it on you?"

"You may not have originally been a Tenno..." The Lotus said heavily as she set Jesse on her feet. "But you have learned a little _too_ well."

"I had good teachers." Jesse said as she took the Lotus' hand. Then she was flying into a mass of code. Some of it was golden. Other code was dark. Bad. Wrong. She focused. She only had one chance to get this right. But she could _feel_ the wrongness. This was what she did. "Do not let me see anything I shouldn't. All I will focus on is the code."

The Lotus sighed, but nodded. Then Jesse was working so fast that her mind blurred. Pain came. She ignored it.

* * *

"I..." Janet swallowed hard as her holographic form knelt down beside her daughter. "Will touching her hurt her?" She stared from Jesse to the not-quite-solid form that the Lotus had taken and back.

"I don't know." Nikis admitted as he knelt as well. Draco stood, his stance wary. "This is..." He shook his head. "I don't know."

"We... didn't intend..." Caroline said from where she lay, tears falling. "We never intended to hurt her."

"I know." Janet said softly as she traced Jesse's cheek with a finger, not quite touching. "But _don't_ think I will forget this, Caroline." She said sternly.

"I know." The turtle said sadly. "I was... We saw you die and..." She gave a sigh. "You are alive, so it is worth it even if you hate us for the rest of your life."

"We were all played." Janet said slowly, staring at the not-quite-there form that Jesse had touched. The Lotus was still, but energy was flashing from her form. And... around Jesse's fingers. "I..."

"Janet." Nikis said gently. "She _does_ know what she is doing." He paused and snorted. "_Most_ of the time." He nodded to Draco. "Thank you." Janet smiled a little forlornly at the shrouded Tenno.

"Yes." Janet said softly. "Thank you."

"Her heart is in the right place." Draco said quietly. "But she does need to find her new limits." He shook his head. "She is holding herself back." Janet bowed her head.

"I know." The human Oracle said sadly. "But I do not know what to do about it."

"Oracle Janet..." Draco said in a voice that was both stern and kind as odd as that sounded. "Yes, you do." Nikis did not move and Janet bowed her head further. "She loves you and she will not leave you to face your path alone while you are hurt. You know this."

"And I love her too."Janet said weakly. "I have... to let her go. I know this. I tried not to hold her back. The life we lived constrained us both. Her more than me I think."

"You raised a good kid, Janet." Nikis said gently. "One who knows right from wrong. Not all parents can say that." Janet smiled at the Nekros but her face was sad. "Things change, Janet." Nikis said quietly. "They always do. But this I do know. She will _never_ stop being your daughter."

"Unless she forgets." Janet said softly. "Her future is unclear to me. Her path... diverges from mine here I think." Nikis and Draco both nodded. "Don't... Even if she cannot remember me for whatever reason... Please don't let her forget how much I love her?"

Nikis and Draco looked at each other and then nodded silently. Then they all froze as the small form that lay to one side groaned and opened his eyes. He stared up at the group with eyes that were far too old to be in such a small form and nodded.

"Tenno." The young human -he looked about ten- said quietly. "Oracles."

"Hello." Janet said quietly. "What do I call you?"

"Jes. My name is Jes." The boy said with a frown as he looked around and then to where Jesse lay with the Lotus. "This... is not what was supposed to happen." He said after a moment.

"Things... changed, Jes." Caroline said softly.

"I see." The boy said with a sigh. Then he sat up and nodded to Janet. "I can take the AI, Oracle Janet. I am ready." Janet just looked at him and then at Caroline who seemed to wince a little.

"Maybe... you better explain, Jes." Caroline said weakly "They are... upset with me. Us."

"You said they would be, Oracle Caroline." Jes said as he slumped a bit in place. "Tenno? Oracle Janet? They explained. They gave me the choice. I chose to aid them."

"I really wish I could believe that." Janet said with a growl. "Ever since this mess started people I trusted have been manipulating my friends and family. It makes it...difficult to trust again."

"Then... perhaps we should speak." Jes said as he laid his hands in his lap, in plain sight. "Oracle Eva and several others said that much of the trouble that was coming could be averted by communication." Janet looked to the side where a bottlenose dolphin hung motionless in the water. "That is my purpose. Communication. So... May I explain my own perspective?"

Janet looked at Nikis who shrugged. She sighed and sat back.

"Are you a clone?" Janet asked.

"No." Jes replied evenly. "From what I understand, clones would not be able to do what is needed. Oracle Caroline took your daughter's genetic material, but that was not the sole source for my own."

"You did it without permission." Janet told Caroline who seemed to wilt further.

"Yes, she did." Jes agreed. Janet looked at him and he shrugged. "Duplicity is pointless at this juncture. This whole series of unfortunate events was laid in motion by the Lotus, but many people have assisted in exacerbating it." He shook his head. "Your daughter wanted to talk to you. She used an experimental telepathic enhancement substance to attempt contact. Her contact was shunted away."

"Why?" Janet demanded of Caroline. "She wouldn't have distracted me."

"We did not know that." Caroline said in a monotone. "It is essentially moot. We have protected ourselves for so long. It was... second nature." Janet shook her head again and Jes frowned.

"Oracle Janet..." Jes said quietly. "You have a right to your anger. Your daughter was hurt."

"She was _killed_." Janet corrected the boy sternly and Jes flinched. Then he nodded.

"Then she got better." Jes was not arguing. He was stating facts. "She became Tenno."

"And then the others brought her here and took bits of her body without her permission." Janet said with a snarl that Nikis himself couldn't have bettered. She gave herself shake. "I assume parts went into making you."

"I am not sure." Jes admitted. He looked at Caroline who nodded silently. "Okay." He agreed. "Yes. They took tissue samples to help make me. Without her conscious permission."

"What do you mean 'conscious permission'?" Janet demanded angrily.

"Oracle Janet..." Jes said quietly. "What would your daughter have done to save your life? To help protect you?" Janet went still and Jes nodded. "The Oracles told me that they looked for what would happen to you. Oracle Caroline? What happened without the tissue samples you took from Tenno Jesse?"

"Janet died." Caroline said sadly. "Every time. Even when we delayed long enough to ask. The neural degradation..." She broke off as Jes held up a hand. "In every vision we saw, she died."

"Oracle Caroline." Jes said quietly when Janet shook her head. "That does not excuse abusing someone, does it?"

"No." Caroline admitted. "We didn't want to lose Janet, but we had no right to take Jesse's tissue without permission. We knew everyone would be upset. But Janet is alive."

"And I will _never_ trust you again." Janet said savagely.

"Oracle Janet." Jes said quietly. "You have a right to your anger." He repeated. "What is it you wish?" Janet stared at the boy who wasn't one and then sighed.

"I don't know." The human Oracle admitted. "She hurt my little girl. More than once."

"And what would Tenno Jesse have done to aid you or to protect you?" Jes asked reasonably. Janet shook her head and he pressed. "Oracle... what would she have done?" Janet would not look at him and he shook his head. "Oracle... Please."

"They hurt my little girl." Janet snapped. "They took her future from her. She isn't human anymore. She..." She was crying now and Nikis laid a hand on her arm. Somehow, he managed to touch her holographic form.

"You are justifiably upset." Jes said into the silence that followed her words. He sighed deeply. "This will not be settled today. Or by me. I am needed, Oracle Janet. The Grineer are coming and I am needed." He held out his hands to Janet.

"How do I know they did not program you to obey?" Janet demanded angrily. Jes grimaced a little.

"You do not." Jes admitted as he dropped his hands into his lap again. "You cannot. What they did... wasn't programming. It was education." Janet stared at him and he smiled a bit sadly. "I have been aware for some time. Not in this body, mind you..." He clarified. "But aware. They wanted me to have a full education."

"To merge with the AI." Janet said, staring at the small ball of energy in her hand. It was pulsing slowly. Jes nodded. "Why?"

"You have been focusing on the larger picture, Oracle Janet." Jes' voice was quiet, moderating, calming. "The Solar System as a whole." Janet nodded and he continued. "The Grineer have lost too many probes in this area. Too many hit Titan's surface and vanish." Janet went still and Jes nodded. "They are beginning to focus their attention here. This is not a good thing. For any of us."

"The submarine we took...?" Nikis spoke into the silence. "The first actual manned probe?" Jes nodded.

"They will send more." Jes frowned. "Once I am merged, I can probably fake a natural phenomenon to explain _why_ they have been losing probes. If we give them an explainable reason... they may retreat. The Corpus definitely will if the costs outweigh the benefits." Janet nodded at that. "The Grineer will take more persuasion. Until then?" He shrugged. "We are all in danger. If they start bombarding the seas, the explosions do not have to be close to do damage. This ship was not designed to be a combat vessel and now? It is even _more_ vulnerable with the addition of the merfolk village."

"So... let me get this straight..." Janet said slowly. "You were...educated... to become part of a hybrid." Jes nodded.

"For the moment I can remember." Jes frowned. "My mind... is my own. But you cannot trust that, can you?"

"Part of me wants to." Janet said heavily. "But... no."

"Is there anyone whose word you _would_ take?" Jes asked reasonably. "We do not have a lot of time, Oracle Janet."

"Nikis?" Janet asked, not taking her eyes from the boy. Or whatever he was.

"Living minds are not my thing, Janet." Nikis said slowly. "I... might be able to ask for help. But if I do... she doesn't always listen to me. " Draco chuckled without mirth and Nikis growled. "You hush."

"She _never_ listened to you." Draco shrugged. "Most of us wondered if you had married _her_." Nikis just shook his head as Janet stared from Draco to him and back. "You know she wouldn't mind, Nikis."

"That is not what I am worried about." Nikis said stiffly. Draco nodded and Nikis sighed. "You sure?"

"What will be, will be." Draco replied evenly. Janet went still as he knelt. "I cannot fight her."

Everything seemed to stop as a golden glow appeared in front of Nikis. A shade formed in front of him. But... what appeared was not a Tenno. Or... not a Tenno in a warframe. She was neither young nor old and her eyes were sad.

"Get up." She commanded Draco who stared at her and then rose slowly to his feet. "Of all the _stupid_..."

"Mom..." Draco said sadly. "I messed up." All eyes jerked to Draco. Nikis just sighed again.

'Mom'. The incredulous word was inaudible. But it was _loud_ nonetheless. Nikis bowed his head as the female Tenno shook hers.

"I will say you did." The female Tenno said sternly. "We... Our whole family tends toward overreactions. Always have. Always will. We focus on our choices, on our paths. We feel so strongly. It is our blessing and our curse." She shook her head."Draco..." She mused. "Your dad is _not_ pleased with you."

"I never meant insult." Draco said softly. "I intended it as a compliment."

"Sooner or later, you will explain to him what you were thinking." The female Tenno said with a scowl. "He is making my afterlife _hell_." Draco winced.

"I never thought about that, Mom." Draco admitted. "It just...seemed natural."

"Ah well..." The woman said with a grunt. "I guess I shouldn't complain. You are alive and free to seek redemption. Not that any of us think you _need_ it, but you _do_. So... whatever." She groused and turned to face Janet. "Oracle."

"I never saw _this_..." Janet said slowly. The newcomer nodded. "You... accept this?"

"Not exactly what I wanted for him, but... He is my son." The unarmored Tenno said quietly. "He may make me want to _strangle_ him occasionally, but he is my son. And he is good at what he does." Janet bowed her head.

"You know what has happened?" Janet asked.

"I do." The other replied calmly.

"And Nikis... believes you are evenhanded." Janet glanced at her mate, but Nikis wasn't moving.

"I would hope so." The other said, offhanded. "I had good teachers." She smiled. "Janet... haven't you _guessed_?" Janet smiled a bit forlornly and nodded. "There was so much I couldn't say. So much I _cannot_ say. So I _will_ say this... Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. _Thank you_." All of the Oracles but Janet were staring at the female Tenno in confusion now. Jes as well looked perplexed.

"My life was on the line too." Janet protested. "And my _sanity_. We helped each other."

"And I can help you now." The female Tenno strode to where Jes sat. "Boy?" She held out a hand and he reached up to touch it. He jerked as power flared, but relaxed. She smiled at him and he returned it. Then her gaze hardened as she looked around at the Oracles. "You all are the _luckiest_ beings in the _Solar System_ currently. Janet angry is not something _I_ ever want to face." She actually shuddered a little.

"I could have told you that." Nikis said with a snort.

"Be quiet." The female Tenno... That was not a joke. That was a _command!_ More than one person went still as Nikis... _obeyed_. "Janet, the boy has not been programmed. There are no marks of brainwashing, no cues of conditioning. He is telling the truth." Janet stared at her and then nodded.

"I... I don't know..." Janet stared down at the ball of energy in her hands.

"Jes." The female Tenno said gently. "Tell Janet why you accepted the mission." Jes nodded and spoke quietly.

"I have no parents." Jes' voice was quiet, but everyone heard him. "But I did not lack for love." Janet's eyes shot up and he smiled at her. "I was made for a purpose. But they did not compel me to that purpose." Janet was shaking her head but Jes shook his. "Oracle Janet... I have two sisters and three brothers. They chose otherwise. I chose this."

"They... they what?" Janet asked, dumbfounded.

"Oracle Janet..." Jes said quietly. "Yes, we were made. Mass produced even. But we were given an education and then we were given the choice. _After_ we had learned all we could." He smiled at her. "I am not a slave."

"I... see..." Janet swallowed hard. "And... this one?" She nodded to the AI in her hands. It was pulsing softly.

"It was not supposed to wake." Jes kept his voice calm and quiet. "Jesse was the last donor of genetic material. The last one it knew. It was supposed to wake with _me_ in the room." He shook his head. "I... guess I cannot blame the Lotus for being afraid. But _your_ anger is dangerous, Oracle Janet. Very dangerous. Please?" He begged her.

"The avalanche... is _me_... isn't it? My anger." Janet said to no one. Jes nodded. "I..."

"Oracle Janet, I will need help." Jes said softly. "Even if the merge happens without complications, the being I become will be scared and confused. I think... Your daughter may be able to help the merge itself. But I need you and you need me."

"Me?" Janet asked softly. "I do not understand."

"The interface will hurt me." Jes said with a gulp. The Tenno shade laid a holographic hand on his head and he relaxed. "The pain is unavoidable."

"That is not right." Janet said slowly. "I..." She stared around, but no one would meet her gaze. "Why me?" Caroline answered her.

"Because we need you to lead us."


	19. Chapter 19

**Full speed**

"Lead you."

Janet's words were calm. Mostly. Nikis stood beside her, his hand still on her holographic arm. Draco stood beside Jesse's still form. The shade he had called 'Mom' stood in the middle of everything, her face remote. The Oracles except for Caroline hovered in the water all around the cleared area. Caroline sat on the floor, her turtle shape still.

"I am not a nursemaid." Janet said with a sound that was half chuckle, half snarl.

"I know." Caroline kept her voice quiet. "_We_ know. We are not asking for that."

"Then what _are_ you asking for?" Janet demanded.

"Oracle Janet." Jes rose slowly from where he sat and stepped towards Janet. "They want you to work with me." Caroline nodded but remained silent. "They are sharply divided by this. Such division has never occurred before."

"Stay where you are." Janet commanded and the boy nodded. He squatted down on his heels, looking at her. "What do you want?"

"I want to help my family." Jes said quietly. "Of which I consider you to be a member. You are hurting. You are frightened for your daughter. You are angry. I want to help." Janet looked at the female Tenno shade and the ghost inclined her head in silence. "They _did_ mean well, Oracle Janet."

Janet grimaced but nodded. Then she stiffened as Jesse moaned. "Jesse?" She asked, her voice timid.

"That was very unpleasant." Jesse said as she sat up slowly. She teetered a bit, but Draco helped her to remain upright. She nodded her thanks to him. "But it is done." She looked to where the not-quite-solid form of the Lotus lay and sighed. "She is defragmenting her memory now. It won't take long."

"Not long at all." The Lotus' voice was rueful as she sat up as well. "Your daughter is _nuts_, Janet."

"Tell me something I don't know." Janet quipped right back. "Jesse?" She indicated Jes and the AI with her head.

"This is not my place to say, Mother." Jesse said and then her eyes lit on the Tenno shade and went wide. "Nyx?" She asked, stunned. Draco shook his head a tiny bit but did not speak.

"Who _else_ would it be?" The shade asked with a grin as her form was suddenly encased in a warframe. A Nyx Prime. Stood to reason. She was the First. "Your mom wasn't going to take their word for anything. We need closure here, Jesse."

"I know." Jesse bowed her head and took a deep breath. "Lotus?"

"Optimal." The Lotus replied as she rose and walked back to where she had been at the beginning. "The concept is good. The implementation will need work. The available bandwidth _is_ seriously limited."

"If there is a repeater station somewhere close to the planet, that can be the sole access point to the outer system." Jes frowned in thought. "Our plan is to use sound instead of exo- or electro-magnetic radiation. That will stay in the ocean. It will take the path of least resistance after all. Then only one point of communication. Of access."

"That is feasible." The Lotus said after a moment. "I was confused." She slumped a bit. 'I am sorry for scaring you and the AI."

"We will need help." Jes swallowed hard. "I know it will hurt, but I have no idea what to do or how."

"It does hurt." The Lotus commented. "But the shock of change is worse. The Oracles educated you the best they could. But with me and Jesse here, you have a better chance. If Jesse is willing." She looked at the young Cyberlancer and Jesse nodded. "Good."

"This is wrong." Janet said slowly, staring down at the glowing ball of energy in her hands. "This boy and this AI will _die_."

"Yes, they will." The Lotus said sadly. "But the boy chose his path. The AI?" She shrugged.

"Mom." Jesse said softly as she held out her hands. Janet stared at her and then deposited the ball of energy in her daughter's hands. It glowed a little brighter. "Whatever _you_ choose, _these_ two chose to attempt this. What can I do but help?"

"I think I taught you a little too much of the selflessness thing." Janet groused but stepped back as Jesse rose. Nikis laid an arm around Janet's holographic shoulders and she leaned into his embrace. Odd that he could touch her, but no less odd than many things about him.

"Maybe." Jesse said with a grin that faded. She stared down at the AI in her hands and then with a slow flourish, held it out to Jes. "I will help as I can." Jesse promised. "But there are limits to what I can do safely." The Lotus nodded and moved to stand beside Jes as the boy rose.

"I am ready." Jes' voice might have been a little cracked, but no one was going to comment.

No one moved as one wall shimmered and a chair moved into the room, lofted by some unseen force. It had restraints for wrists and ankles. Jes looked at the AI in Jesse's hands. Then he turned, walked to the chair and sat. The restraints clicked closed and an oddly shaped helmet folded up from behind it to encompass his head. It looked... spiky.

"What will we call you?" The Lotus asked as she moved to stand behind the chair. She held out her hand to Jesse and Jesse took it.

"Coral." Jes replied and then gasped as things clicked together. "Marine invertebrate. It grows. It builds. As I must grow and build."

"One final time, young Jes." The Lotus said sadly, nodding to Nyx who nodded back. "Do you want this?"

"Yes." The boy said firmly and the Lotus bowed her head. The helmet had a small indention visible now and Jesse swallowed as she realized it was just the size of the ball that was the AI. The Lotus nodded and Jesse laid the AI in the indention. It... seemed to sink in and Jes gasped. Then the boy screamed. That scream went on and on. Janet took a half step forward, and froze. Nikis held her.

"Focus on what he wished." The Lotus commanded. Jesse nodded and her code flew from her free hand. It flew around the seated boy, not constrained in this odd place as it would normally be. She could not stop what was happening. She _could_ ease it somewhat. She felt rather than saw the Lotus do the same.

Then, almost like a sword had cut through them, the boy's screams stopped. His body was shuddering under Jesse's code. Changing. Her eyes went huge as she saw the helmet change. Now it looked... alive. It had no eyes, but the many spiky filaments moved like some kind of antennae. She looked at the Lotus and the other nodded.

"Gross changes are done." The Lotus said, stepping back. "I sense no anomalies. You?" She asked Jesse who shook her head.

"I wouldn't know what to look for." Jesse said with a shrug.

"It would feel wrong." The Lotus said with a sigh. "If it doesn't feel wrong, then it isn't. Does it feel like the errors you sensed in my core?" Jesse shook her head again. "Good."

"How long?" Jesse asked and froze as the being in the chair spoke.

"Not long, Cyberlancer Jesse." The voice... was not Jes. It was neither male nor female. It was neutral. "Integration is proceeding. It will take approximately thirty four hours for full integration but basic integration is complete. Thank you." It said to both the Lotus and Jesse.

"It is my duty." Jesse said with a smile as she released the Lotus' hand and stepped back.

"And mine." The Lotus smiled a little as well as she did the same.

The chair morphed. Now it was a form fitting couch. The humanoid form that lay on it had numerous tubes connected to its back. The helmet had numerous spines extending from it. The lower face was visible and was still human. But that was _all_ that was.

"This being is Coral." The newest AI hybrid said calmly. "This being will serve. Your concerns about bandwidth are noted, Lotus." A burst of what sounded like static sounded. "There are other options."

"We will talk about it." The Lotus replied as a burst of static sounded again. "Keep the conversation where the others can hear it for now, please. No need to be rude."

"Understood. This discord must be eased." Coral said quietly. "Oracle Janet. We serve you."

"What?" Janet demanded, stunned.

"Your daughter was hurt. You were hurt." Coral replied evenly. "The other Oracles' intentions were good, but their methods were flawed."

"This seems like a private conversation. I need to get back to work." The Lotus said quietly. "Keep me appraised as you are able, Coral?"

"I will, Lotus." The seated being replied. The Lotus smiled, nodded to the others and vanished. The being which called itself Coral turned its head from side to side. "This form of sensory perception is different but understandable. Oracle Janet, please." It begged. "We need you to lead us."

"I am no leader." Janet said quietly. "And I can never forget what they did to my daughter." Her eyes narrowed. "And the body you made for me."

"That was intended as a backup." Coral said with a nod. "In case they could not save you. They would have shunted you to the new body as soon as your human form died. It was not needed." Janet looked at the hybrid and he made a sighing noise. "At least not yet. Humans are mortal. We do not want to lose you."

"Nyx vouches for you." Janet said slowly as she looked at the shade who nodded again. "But I am _very_ angry."

"And you have a right to it." Coral replied.

"I need to think on this." Janet said slowly. Coral nodded.

"With your permission,. Oracle Janet..." Coral said calmly. "...this unit will begin implementing a plan to deceive the Grineer into believing that the seas of Titan are uninhabited and uninhabitable." Janet looked at Nikis who nodded.

"Do you need anything?" Janet asked after a moment.

"Not currently." Coral replied immediately. "There is a low order probability that some Grineer may land despite the danger. If so, we will need a way to disable them without them seeming to fall to Tenno. IF we can make the Grineer believe that the seas are too dangerous to enter, we will be safe."

"For a time." Janet replied absently. "Not forever."

"Nothing is forever, Oracle Janet." Coral replied evenly. "With your permission?" He asked again. Janet nodded irritably and he relaxed into his chair.

Janet turned for the door, but paused as Caroline spoke.

"Janet, if you must be angry, be angry with me." The turtle said quietly. "I pushed for it. I did not know what the Lotus was doing, but I shunted your daughter's mind away from you. What happened after is my responsibility."

"Not now." Janet snapped, her ire fanned. She stalked to the door, Nikis, Jesse, Draco and the shade of the First Nyx following her hologram. Only after they had all passed it and the door shut behind them did Janet slump a little. "I trusted her. Them." Janet said in a monotone.

"They did mean well, Janet." Nyx said sadly. "They showed the common sense of a houseplant in not bothering to communicate. But they did mean well. And they did try to fix their mistakes." Janet nodded, but her eyes were on Jesse as the group made its way back towards her chamber.

"You were hurt the worst, Jesse." Janet said quietly. "You were abused, brainwashed. Then you died."

"And I came back." Jesse said with a small, sad smile. She shook her head ."I would have done all they did to me and more to save your life. I am held to a higher standard now. I cannot respond with simple anger."

"There is nothing simple about this, Jesse." Janet said sadly.

"Begging your pardon, Oracle Janet..." Jesse said quietly. "...yes, there is. I would have done the same thing. If they had needed a piece of my body I cannot live without, I _still_ would have done the same thing." Janet stared the Tenno who had been her daughter and Jesse smiled. "I am glad it wasn't needed, but I would have done it."

"Jesse..." Janet swallowed hard. "I..."

"Let go of your anger, Oracle." Jesse said gently. "I have." She paused and slumped a bit. "Mostly." She admitted a bit sheepishly. "Much of what happened _was_ my fault. I have accepted that. The rest?" She smiled at Janet. "I would do it again. To save my mom."

"Let's _not_ go through this again anytime soon, okay?" Janet begged.

"Yes Ma'am." Jesse said with a smile that Janet shared. But then Jesse frowned. "Oracle... You need to focus on healing now."

"Jesse." Her mother said sternly, but Jesse was undeterred.

"Oracle, please?" Jesse asked softly. Janet sighed and nodded. "You have been using most of your energy to see. To look. To do what Oracles do." Janet frowned but Jesse continued. "It is hurting you." Nikis stilled where he was and Jesse nodded to him. "I can feel the pain in her holographic form, Grandmaster Nikis. Can you?"

Nikis was obviously staring as he looked from Jesse to Janet and back. He shook his head slowly.

"Jesse." The Oracle's voice was flat now.

"You have been using your power for everything _but_ healing yourself." Jesse said calmly. "True?" She asked Nyx who nodded slowly. "You are _needed,_ Oracle Janet. You cannot ignore repairing your own body. It needs time to heal."

"Jesse." Janet repeated.

"I go my own way, Oracle Janet. Mother." Jesse said softly. "But _this_ will never change. As long as I remember you, I _will_ love you. Please?" She begged. "I will likely never see dad again. Don't orphan me, Mother. Please?"

"Jesse." Now Janet's voice was low and sick. "I am needed."

"Yes." Jesse agreed. "Yes you are. But you do too much. You do not need to do it all. Trying..." She slumped a bit. "Trying to do it all is driving you crazy. No human _can_. Not even an Oracle."

"No Tenno can either." Nyx said into the silence that fell after Jesse's heartfelt plea. "We are all limited. Some more than others." She indicated herself with a nod.

"But they need me to do what I do." Janet said weakly. She froze as Jesse stepped up to her. The young Cyberlancer's hand reached out... and took hers. "Jesse." She said sadly.

"I know." Jesse said as she pulled Janet's hologram into a hug that the insubstantial Oracle slowly returned when she realized she _could_. "But you do not have to do it _all_. You do not rest enough. You have visions instead of sleeping. That is not rest. You need rest." Jesse insisted.

"She is right." Nyx's voice had everyone turning to look at her. "You push yourself too hard, Janet."

"Because when I don't bad things happen!" Janet was crying now as Jesse held her gently.

"Bad things will happen whether you drive yourself crazy or not, Mom." Jesse said sternly. "We need you. You. Sane. I won't let you fall."

"Who are you and what have done with my daughter?" Janet asked, only half joking. "Jesselle was always happy when I was distracted."

"_Jesselle_ was a stupid _brat_ who never knew what she had until she _lost_ it." Jesse said as she hugged Janet tighter. "_I_ am not going to lose you."

"I don't know what to do." Janet admitted. "This isn't something I was trained for."

"I _was_." Jesse said gently as her right hand cupped the back of Janet's skull. "I can help you sleep. But the healing you will need to focus on. I can enhance your healing for a bit." Nikis coughed and Jesse shrugged a little. "Or I can ask for help to do that. Please, Mom. Let me help." Janet sighed deeply and then nodded. Power flared from Jesse's hand and the Oracle's holographic form vanished. "Trinity told me of the Gaia Protocols." Jesse said as she turned towards the door that led to Janet's resting chamber. "But I do not think I can power them myself."

"You do not have to." Nyx said with a nod. Nikis looked at her and she coughed. "We were prepared, Nikis." She said mildly. "We had no idea who would activate them or how long the power would last to hold you in check. Even that stupendous power cannot heal her instantly, but it _can_ help her."

"Too much power, even for healing, would do damage." Jesse agreed and Nyx nodded. "So... how do we energize them?" She paused as Draco hissed. Nyx nodded to him and Jesse looked at her. "Nyx?" Jesse asked, curiosity warring with worry.

"I happen to know someone who has a great deal of energy available." Nyx said with a odd lilt in her voice. "And he is a good sort. One who would be very willing to help out." Draco just shook his head and Nyx chuckled. "He is the best choice."

"Right." Draco growled. But Nikis was chuckling too. "Laugh it up, necromancer." Draco said with a snarl. "He was mad at _you_ too."

"Ah..." Jesse swallowed hard. "Do I want to know?" She asked slowly.

"You will like him." Nyx said with a chuckle. "Nikis? You want me to summon him?"

"I don't think it matters here." Nikis said with sigh. "The poor Balance is shredded anyway." Jesse stiffened but Nikis shook his head. "Not your fault, girl. But the backlash is going to be interesting to say the least."

"Calm down, Nikis. We will handle it. We always do." Nyx said with a snort as she raised her hands and a golden pinpoint of light appeared in the hallway in front of them. "William, we could use your help."

The golden light suddenly expanded and then was gone. A warframe appeared in front of her. Another shade. This one wasn't a warframe that Jesse knew. It was... odd looking. More organic and were those scales on its surface? It looked more reptilian than technological.

"Well, well, well..." The male shade sounded halfway between glee and rage. "I _might_ have _known_. Hello _Edwin_." Draco jerked and then sighed.

"Hi Dad."


	20. Chapter 20

**Treasures**

"Are you over your snit?" The new shade asked Draco. Draco did not reply. "Guess not." The newcomer said with a sigh. "Too much to hope for."

Jesse stared from Nikis to Draco, to Nyx and then at the new shade. Then she took a deep breath.

"Personal business is personal and not germane at this time. We need power to energize the Gaia Protocols in Oracle Janet." Jesse said in a firm voice. "Nyx said you can help."

"I can." The other replied. "_Should_ I?" Nikis coughed and the newly come shade scoffed at him. "Don't even _try_, Nikis. You want to delete me? Destroy me? Go right ahead." He crossed his arms. "Won't get you what you want."

"And you being an _jackass_ won't get you what _you_ want either." Nikis said quietly. "All you will do is piss him off more. That won't get you what _you_ want." Nyx sighed and stepped to Jesse's side.

"Let them get it out of their systems, Cyberlancer Jesse." Nyx said in an oddly formal tone. "They will anyway. Nothing anyone _else_ has said has had any effect on them." All three of the male Tenno ignored her. They were completely focused on each other. One could literally _feel_ the animosity building.

"Nyx." Jesse begged and the elder Tenno laid a holographic hand on her shoulder.

"This has been a long time coming, Jesse." Nyx said gently as Nikis shook his head. "Just... do not think the less of him. He is... _They_ are both good Tenno." Jesse slumped a bit and nodded. She and Nyx stepped away from the group.

"He chose his path, Chroma." Nikis said quietly.

"And you had _nothing_ at all to do with it." The other scoffed. Draco did not respond. "Don't you have _anything_ to say?"

"What could he say to you that he hasn't already?" Nikis asked, his tone calm. Sort of. Jesse quailed from that. He was not happy. At all. "You made your points quite clear when you came after him the first time. He didn't _want_ to do it." Draco did not move. "But _you_ knew better."

"Better than _you_." The one called Chroma said sourly.

"Did you?" Nikis asked, his tone...calming. "Really?" The Nekros shook his head. "If you want to say something, Chroma, this is probably your last chance." The other jerked and stared at the ancient gunfighter. "Far be it from me to get in the way of you being stupid. Again." The Nekros stepped away from the other two.

"You will talk to me." Chroma said sharply. Draco ignored him. "You will. I am your father."

"Nothing to say to you." Draco retorted evenly and turned his back on the other, his faceplate meeting Nyx's. She slumped a bit and nodded.

"Do not turn your back on me, Edwin!" Chroma snapped, moving to go around the other.

"Chroma. William..." For the first time since Jesse had met her, Nyx sounded scared. "Don't." For his part, Draco might have been made of shrouded ice for all the movement he showed.

"Stay out of this!" Chroma shouted. "He is my son! He denied me! I will have an answer as to why!"

"Why?" Draco asked slowly. "You _dare_ ask me why?"

"Yes, I ask why!" Chroma snapped. "We had it all set up! Everything was ready! All you had to do was show up."

"No." Draco said softly. "All I had to do was give up what _little_ freedom you allowed me." Jesse jerked and Draco turned to her. "You might as well know. Mom was always good to me, despite me coming unexpected as I did."

"You are my son." Nyx said softly. Draco nodded at her scared words. "Don't. Please."

"Not me. I could not do it, Mother." Draco said sadly. "The Code... I am not a leader. I never was."

"Yes, you _were_!" Chroma thundered. "Everyone agreed you could take Hayden's place after he fell."

"Not _everyone_." Draco snarled, his own voice a terrible echo. "You never asked _me_." Jesse stared from Draco to Chroma, to Nyx who was slumping now. To Nikis who was shaking his head.

"_You_." Jesse swallowed hard. "_You_ were...?"

"He was next in line to lead the Tenno." Chroma snapped. "Everything was set. But he ran away."

"I do not believe that." The calm sincerity in Jesse's voice had everyone in the hall stiffening. "Or if he _did_? He had a much better reason than adolescent hubris like I did."

"It was not hubris for either of us, Jesse." Draco said with a shrug. "I am not a leader. I know it. _He_ doesn't." He turned to look at the irate shade that was his father. "You won't help. Your wounded pride is far more important than the lives of every free being in this system." Not questions. Cold, calm statements. He turned back to Jesse. "I will."

"William, stop!" Nyx said sharply as the other shade started to rant. "Just stop! Angering him will not help! I asked you here to help a friend. Janet helped me once. You know how much I owe her."

"He is my son and I will have an answer!" The Chroma warframe snapped, but then he froze as Draco spun in place to fix him with a glare that was a match for his.

"You want an _answer_?" Draco's words might have frozen interstellar space. "Fine. _Here_ is your answer. I _have_ no father." At that, everything stopped in the corridor. "_I_ will power the protocols with my life force, because even if it costs me who and what I am that is better than being your _slave!_"

"No!" Nyx screamed, throwing herself between Draco and his father. "Don't!"

"Draco, no." Jesse stepped between him and the door to the room where her mom lay. "I can't let you do that."

"It is not your choice, Cyberlancer Jesse." Draco said as he turned to face her. "It is _mine_. Your mother needs help and she is needed."

"So are you." Jesse countered firmly, her code locking the door behind her. "Draco, I cannot let you throw your life away. Every Tenno is needed." She bowed her head as power flared from the shrouded warframe, pushing against her. But her mental barriers held. "What did he want?"

"Tenno serve, we do not rule." Draco said quietly. "Unless of course we can _control_ whoever is in charge." Jesse stared at him and then she blanched, staring at the frozen from who had claimed fatherhood. "The power _behind_ the leader."

"What?" Nyx asked, her voice tiny. "What do you mean?"

"The last vigil before the investiture, I asked Nikis for a boon." Draco's voice had moderated. A little. From interstellar space to an Arctic icepack. "I asked to speak to Hayden. I was... conflicted."

"I know." Nyx said as she fell to her knees slowly. "But we worked through that. Didn't we?" She asked.

"_We_ did." Talking to his mother, Draco's voice was warmer. "But there was still doubt. I still wondered. I wasn't ready and I told Nikis so." Nyx stared from her son to Nikis who bowed his head. "He gave his word, Mom. He won't speak of what we discussed."

"And you talked to Hayden." Nyx said slowly, carefully.

"I did." Draco confirmed. "He was... Not as I expected. Not as angry as I remembered him being." He shook his head. "We talked about duty. About honor. About kin. About the Code. He asked me what I wanted." The shrouded warframe shook his head. "That was the first time someone asked me that." Nyx went still and Draco nodded. "He was... rather distressed to hear that."

"I didn't know." Nyx's voice was even smaller.

"I know." Draco said quietly. "For you, I have nothing but gratitude, mother. I was unexpected and you were ill prepared for me. But you did the best you could and your best was _amazing_." He turned his head to eye the Chroma shade who hadn't moved. "As for _you_? I tried to be a dutiful son. I tried to be what you wanted me to be. Until it conflicted with the Code. 'Follow your heart, not your orders'. Sound familiar?" He asked snidely. "I am not a leader. I have never been suited to be a leader. Bellina and Richard were far better suited to lead than I was. As soon as I realized that, yes. I left. I am sorry that your plans were ruined." There was precious little regret in his words. "But I would have made a crappy leader. I am much better at my chosen profession than the profession _you_ chose for me."

"Draco..." Jesse said into the silence that fell. "I am sorry."

"I am not." Draco admitted. "Even with everything else that happened. Even with my failing, my overreaction. Protecting others is what I do best." He stepped to Jesse's side, away from the frozen Chroma. "Well?" He demanded of his father.

"You vanished before anyone could talk to you after the incident." The male shade said quietly. "We looked for you."

"You were the _last_ person I wanted to talk to." Draco snarled. "I did not need to hear you gloating-..." He broke off as the shade raised a hand. "What?" He demanded.

"You really think I would have gloated?" The Chroma asked quietly. "Truly?"

"Yes." Draco replied instantly.

"You think you are the _only_ one who has failed such a charge?" His father asked, still quiet.

"I know others have." Draco snapped, still angry. "I was doing penance for harming innocents."

"Innocent _Orokin_ was usually a contradiction in terms." The other replied. "There were some who were saintly, but they were far outnumbered by the sinners. None of the girls you dealt with were saints."

"So?" Draco demanded.

"So demanding penance for something that wasn't your fault, for beings who were not worthy of such dedication was hardly the act of a rational mind." The Chroma warframe slowly knelt. "We were _worried_ about you." Draco jerked and stared at Nyx who nodded slowly. "And then you just _vanished_ and no one knew where." The holographic reptilian warframe shook his head. "Will you accept my apology?"

"_What did you say?_" Draco asked, stunned. He was hardly the only one so stunned.

"I needed to hear it from you." The Chroma warframe said with a sigh. "But I heard it before. Loudly." Nyx and Nikis both jerked and the male shade laughed sourly. "Hayden has a _very_ loud voice when he is upset. That didn't change when he died." The shade chuckled a bit sadly. "I was wrong to do what I did. It would have caused nothing but strife. I have waited to say that to you, for a long, long time."

"He never said anything to me." Nyx protested.

"Or _me_." Nikis actually sounded hurt.

"Hayden wanted to give me the chance to apologize." The Chroma said sadly. "Neither of us thought it would take _this_ long. So... I am sorry. Draco."

"I..." Draco swallowed hard and would have retreated, except Jesse laid a hand on his arm and he froze in place. "You never called me that. Every time you found me, you called me by my name."

"At first I thought it was an insult, the nom-de-guerre you took." The Chroma said with a shrug. "It wasn't." Draco shook his head. "You never gave me the chance to apologize. To explain. But I knew from the second time I found you after you ran that the name you had chosen was in honor of me."

"Latin for 'Dragon'." Jesse said softly.

"I very nearly lost the single most important treasure I had." The Chroma said quietly. "For a long time, I thought I had. I will aid your mother, Cyberlancer."

"You kept trying to drag me back." Draco protested. "Even after Richard had taken over, you kept trying to get me to come back." The Chroma looked at him and then at Nyx who seemed to wilt. "Mom?" Draco asked.

"We wanted a grandkid." Nyx said sadly. Draco jerked and a strangled sound came from him. "And we worried about you. Hanging around Nikis was never _safe_."

"No." Draco admitted. "It never was." Nikis hadn't moved since the Chroma had dropped his verbal bombshell. "Nikis?"

"I ain't one for trusting." Nikis said with a grunt. "Never have been. We have had our arguments, but I ain't one to get between a man and his family either."

"So." Jesse asked as the Chroma and Nyx both rose. "What now?"

"Now, Nikis and William help Janet." Nyx nodded to the door and Jesse moved from it. "And you, me and Draco have a talk."

"A talk?" Jesse asked as Nikis stepped into the room behind her, the male shade following. "About what?"

"Treasures." Nyx said with a grin that was visible even through her closed faceplate. "You are one, Jesse. You are young. Inexperienced and very confused by everything that has happened." Jesse nodded, mystified. "You are a brand new sister in a brand new body."

"I know." Jesse admitted with a sigh. "I assume that as soon as things calm down, the docs will want to poke and prod me some more."

"Probably." Nyx sounded commiserating. "Then again, we don't get many new sisters these days. We nearly lost Tiana recently. All of the corporeal Tenno are going to try to wrap you in wool." She warned. "Don't let them."

"I will do my best." Jesse replied with a shrug. "But I _am_ more vulnerable."

"For the moment, yes." Nyx agreed. "That will change. Your body will be honed to its peak of physical ability and you will find people who are willing to teach anything you wish to learn." She paused and chuckled. "Within reason of course."

"Of course." Jesse snickered at Nyx's tone. "But what has this to do with a... new..." She went still as Nyx nodded.

"When I met William..." Nyx had a find smile in her voice now. "We used protection. It wasn't enough. I love Draco." She hastened to say. "And despite everything, I am so very proud of him." Draco did not react. "But the fact of the matter is, you are young, a teenager in fact. You are good looking, very smart and very capable. You are brave and willing to do what is needed." Jesse blushed, but Nyx wasn't done. "Jesse, Trinity told me about your genetics." Jesse frowned but nodded. "You are going to encounter boys. Your body will likely react in ways that it hasn't before."

"Yes." Jesse admitted, a little uncomfortable. "I saw it. In the Clergy."

"Yes you did. Draco will help." Nyx said, looking at her son who nodded. "But he is a guy. No offense to him, but he doesn't think the same way a girl does. He _can't_."

"So, what?" Jesse asked. "Should I lock myself up in a tower?"

"Probably wouldn't help." Nyx said with a sigh. "If there is one thing boys are it is persistent."

"So what do I do?" Jesse asked weakly.

"First and foremost, Jesse..." Nyx cautioned. "Do not rush into anything. I wouldn't lose or change Draco for all the platinum in the Solar System, but it _was_ a shock. If you do experiment, be careful." Jesse nodded. "And if you need to talk to a female and your mom is not available, I _am._"

"But the Balance." Jesse protested. "Won't that upset the Balance?"

"Maybe." Nyx sighed. "But they um... they want me away from part of the database for a bit. I was -am- a little fixated on Rasputin."

"With reason." Jesse said with a snarl. Some things were unforgiveable and what the scum named Rasputin had done to Nyx was high on that list.

"I agree." An echo of hate sang in Nyx's voice but it was muted. "Frankly, I think I scared some of my kin. They want me to take a break." Jesse looked at her and Nyx chuckled evilly. "I left Mag with him." Draco jerked and then nodded.

"Couldn't happen to a nicer slimeball." Jesse said with a growl. Then she shook her head. "So..."

"So I am available if you need to talk." Nyx said gently. "Any time."

"I may take you up on that." Jesse said weakly. "I mean... It has been so fast."

"I know." Nyx's voice was gentle now. "We Tenno think faster than humans, but in the end, we _came_ from human. We share the same basic emotional framework. We have more tools, but the base is the same. You have time now, Jesse. Do not rush into anything." She cautioned.

"I won't." Jesse said and then grinned. "And I bet Draco won't let me." A sound suspiciously like a chuckle came from the shrouded Tenno and Jesse nodded. "Figured."

A rush of power came from the room behind them and all three turned as the door opened. Green light spilled out of the room as Nikis stepped out into the hallway.

"It is done." Nikis said quietly. "She is asleep and will stay that way for a while. But she is healing now." Jesse slumped in relief and Nikis nodded. "We need to get you back to the Tenno, Jesse." He held out a hand that she took. He froze as she steppe close and embraced him. "Hey!" He protested.

"I didn't see anything." Nyx said with a snort as she looked at Draco. "You?" Her son shook his head, but his posture was amused as Jesse hugged the Nekros tighter. He sighed and slowly folded her in his arms.

"You are ruining my macho image, Jesse." Nikis complained whimsically.

"Mom loves you." Jesse said quietly as she released him and stepped back. "I can't go back to who and what I was before, but I do love her. She loves you. If they were serious about her being in charge..." She trailed off looking at Nyx who nodded. "Okay... They will need help convincing the Grineer that the seas here are too dangerous to explore."

"Oh..." Nyx had a feral smile in her voice now. "I _think_ the four of us can manage _something_."

* * *

**Message begins:**

Hail the Queens,

Data recorder from Submersible Probe 247861-A recovered. No survivors. Recorded scans indicate submersible passed through a pocket of concentrated hydrochloric acid. Such pockets are apparently present all throughout the oceans. Scanners are unreliable at detecting such at range. No known substance can resist such strong acids. Shields are useless under the surface and no usable resources were detected on the scans that were made before the pressure hull was eroded.

Research into acid resistant hulls is recommended before any further manned or unmanned exploration attempted.

Hail the Queens.

**Message ends**

* * *

**Titan**

The turtle sat beside the pool and sighed deeply. The others had all left. Now Janet's attendants were all asleep with their mistress finally healing. So, the Oracles stood watch over Janet.

"I am sorry, Janet." Caroline said to the unconscious woman whose energy was finally healing the terrible wounds she had suffered. Said energy was also healing the last of the cut Stalker had done to the turtle. "I really thought it was the best way." She went still as a chuckle sounded from the woman. She stared as Janet cracked an eye. "You...?"

"None so blind as those who see, Caroline." Janet said softly. "You did good."

"You planned this?" Caroline demanded.

"No." Janet said with a smile that faded. "I was trying to do damage control. Trying to help Jesse. And now? I need to help you."

"Me?" Caroline said weakly. "Janet... I..."

"You are angry." Janet said quietly. "With me. With Stalker. With yourself. You lashed out at him. You wanted to hurt him." Caroline nodded silently. "It will be okay, Caroline."

"Will it?" Caroline begged.

"It will." Janet promised as she held out a hand that did not tremble to the turtle and Caroline touched it with a flipper. "You won't like me much of the time, but I will do what I must."

"I know." Caroline agreed. "I am so scared, Janet. I feel..." She wilted a bit.

"Come here." Janet pulled the flipper and Caroline was sobbing as Janet pulled her close and held her as she cried. "We all messed up. For every action, there is a consequence. But these consequences... may work out for the best."

"I hope so." Caroline said sadly. "I really do."

"Me too."


End file.
